Over nine days of varying conditions – epic to pretty dusty – and fine weather and foul, the 31st Noosa Festival of Surfing concluded last weekend in quite contestable First Point conditions under sunny skies.
It was a suitably optimistic end to an event run in the shadow of a flood disaster at home and shocking images of conflict abroad. A significant number of competitors had to pull out at the last minute, either unable to get here across flooded roads and bridges or just too busy helping save their own and the homes of others.
But here in our Noosa bubble, a new wave of happy groms dominated some of the open events while old stagers proved up to the task in others and, of course, the beach bar was throbbing every afternoon. Off-beach highlights included the Vissla Creators and Innovators night at the Noosa Surf Museum on Wednesday night, with legendary surfboard designers from across the generations talking story, and the double whammy launch of the ABC’s Barons TV series which dramatises the birth of the Australian surf industry, plus film-maker Jolyon Hoff’s Surf Film Archive at the same venue the next night.
Friday night saw a sellout screening at The J of Albe Falzon’s landmark surf film, Morning Of The Earth, celebrating its 50th birthday with a remastered version in 4K which blew away even those who, like your columnist, had seen it many times over. Special guests for the screening included cast member Stephen Cooney, the late Michael Peterson represented by mum Joan, plus veteran film-makers Dick Hoole and David Mexican Sumpter.
On the charity front, Layne Beachley and Rip Curl chief executive officer Brooke Farris helped raise $10,000 for SurfAid on opening night, and Julian Wilson and Luke Egan even more for the Board Meeting’s worthy causes on the following Thursday at Sunshine Beach Surf Club.
The surfing was outstanding throughout, even allowing for a few difficult days of dying swell and onshore winds, with Noosa locals performing at the top of their game. For my money, local stand-outs were Matt Cuddihy, who finally realised the potential we’ve known he’s had for so long to take out the men’s Logger Pro, Landen Smales for smashing both the junior mens’ events, Sierra Lerback for beating the boys at their own game in the Old Mal, Coco Cairns for a great win in the women’s twin fin, and Noosa World Surfing Reserve president Kirra Molnar, who not only led the opening paddle-out, then worked herself into the sand fundraising all week, but surfed her brains out too and was unlucky not to take a title after two hard-fought finals.
Kirra really embodied the spirit of the festival for mine.
WINNERS CIRCLE (Note – we ran the juniors’ last week)
Over 60 women: Peppie Simpson.
Over 70 men: Steve O’Donnell.
Over 60 men: Albie Curtis.
Over 50 women: Kate Dwyer (in a nail-biter with Kate Perry).
Over 35 women: Tia Deighton.
Over 50 men: Glen Gower.
Over 65 men: Greg Moir.
Over 55 men: Hayden Swan.
Over 40 men: Josh Constable.
High Performance women: Bea Conroy (another nail-biter, this time with Kirra Molnar).
High Performance men: Nic Brewer.
Twin fin women: Coco Cairns.
Twin fin men: Jack Lewis.
Twin fin over 50s: Owen Cavanagh.
Old Mal: Sierra Lerback (yet another nail-biter with Harrison Roach).
Logger Pro women: Mason Schremmer.
Logger Pro men: Matt Cuddihy.
Meanwhile, across the pond
While the festival was in full flight in Noosa, across the Pacific two well-known faces from previous years were celebrating the event at G’s Boathouse Bar in Huntington Beach, wishing they were here.
Actually, 1976 world champion and his good buddy, noseriding legend David Nuuhiwa, were also downing a few neck-oils to celebrate the publication of the latest Surfers Journal with young Dave on the cover. Of course, throughout the 1960s Dave was rarely off the cover of the biggest magazines in the world, but it had been a while between drinks, so to speak. And during our many FaceTime chats over the writing of the cover story, he was insistent that as soon as travel would allow, he was coming back to Noosa.
PT, of course, has been an attendee every year for decades until Covid, and he too is planning to be here for the ’23 edition.
