SURFING LEGEND DROPS IN TO TORQUAY

WAVE lovers and surfing fanatics can rejoice with the launch of legendary Ian “Kanga” Cairns’ book Kanga – a sports biography, adventure and surf history in two volumes.

Surfing legend Ian Cairns won seven majors on the world tour then formed the Associate of Surfing Professional (now the World Surf League); he was fearless on the North Shore of Oahu in Hawaii and arrives to the Torquay Books on April 16 for the launch.

In the 1970s Cairns and professional surfers dreamed of being recognised as legitimate sportsmen, in Kanga they tell how it became reality; Volume One is set in Australia, South Africa and Hawaii’s awesome North Shore.

Cairns features with other surf legends as they provide a detailed narrative of surfing’s transformation from the druginfused hippy era of the late 1960s, to a fledgling world tour in the late 1970s.

Volume Two charts the spectacular fall and resurrection of Cairns in the USA as surfing becomes a multibillion-dollar industry with Olympic Games status.

Cairns said he was looking forward to the book launch and catching up with his fellow pro surfing pioneers he competed with at Bells years ago.

“Since its inception every pro surfer has wanted to perform well at Bells during Easter because of its heritage, those Bell trophies are the most sought-after silverware,” he said.

“I remember 1973 when Rip Curl first sponsored the event – there were big waves in the early rounds and Midget Farrelly was the standout.

“There was a new judging system with points for manoeuvers, Midget was leading after two rounds but caught the flu and got really sick. Michael Peterson took the lead, he had the new rules stickytaped to the dashboard of his car and clocked up more points than anyone. It was the first of his three wins at Bells.”

Ian said when surfers look back on their careers they remember iconic locations like Bells and the legends they competed against.

“I always saw sport as a metaphor for war and am honoured to have fought hard against super competitive guys like Michael Peterson, Mark Richards, Shaun Tomson, Michael Ho, Jeff Hakman, Rabbit Bartholomew, Terry Fitzgerald and others of their stature.”

Kanga is insightful reading for anyone interested in the dramatic changes surfing and surfboards underwent during the short board revolution, with the sport reaching the high-performance skills and equipment of today.

For more information go to torquaybooks.com.au.