Exhibition shows off the legends of ’72

Torquay’s Australian National Surfing Museum will soon host the Legends of Surf 72 exhibition, which takes visitors on nostalgic ride through a significant year of surfing that changed the fabric of the sport forever.

The exhibition marks the 50th anniversary of the legendary 1972 Australian Team and traces their competitive journey from the 1972 World Surfing at San Diego, California in October to the big wave season in Hawaii in November and December.

1972 witnessed the changeover from amateur competitions and the birth of new professional surfing events in Hawaii that would pave the way towards surfing professionalism.

After kicking off residency on the Gold Coast and in Sydney, the exhibition will hit Torquay on October 29 and be live until the end of March 2023, which will no doubt provide a huge boost for the town’s surfing culture coming into the warmer summer months.

Organiser Andrew McKinnon, a member of the 1972 Australian Surfing Team, collaborated with curator Karen Neilsen and fellow Australian team member Rod Brooks to bring this engaging story to life.

“We are super excited about bringing the Legends of Surf 72 exhibition coming to the surfing capital of Australia and the Australian National Surfing Museum,” McKinnon said.

“The significance of the 1972 Australian Team comprising 21 surfers is that 14 of this legendary team have been inducted into the Surfing Australia Hall of Fame Awards, a statistic unlikely to be broken.

“The long visiting schedule will provide surf fans with plenty of time to drop in and check out what happened 50 years ago, and how surfing has evolved from those profound changes in 1972.”

Exhibition photos have been supplied by famous photographers of the times including California’s Jeff Divine, Steve Wilkings, Drew Kampion, and personal photos from 72 Team member Mark Warren, Peter Townend, Anthony Hardwick, and Australian photographers Dick Hoole, Frank Pithers, and Mick Eyre.

Replica surfboard models will also be on show during the event, including that of 1978 world surfing champion Wayne ‘Rabbit’ Bartholomew.

“As a member of the 1972 Australian Team, I’m proud to be part of the Legends of Surf 72 Exhibition and its story on surf history and culture,” said Bartholomew.

“I’m honoured to have my boards on display that includes 1978 World Title design and the latest Free Ride model.”

Entry is free for the exhibition, which opens on October 29.

For more information, phone Andrew on 0412 754 974 or email [email protected]