The Boss found this plaque on the way down to the beach in Yallingup Western Australia. He took a shot of it for a few differet reasons he reckoned. He remembers, vaguely of course a time when surfing had no legropes and you had to pay your dues sometimes for three or four years before you went and surfed the more demanding and dangerous surf breaks. The breaks surrounded by rocks or jagged coral. Consequently when you fell off, if you could you tried to fall so you could wrap your arm around your board so you didn't have to swim all the way in in to get it back. If you were surfing a reef or rocky bay any wipeout could mean your board got smashed at least along one side. With legropes things changed over night really, anyone with their board tied to their leg could paddle out the back in breaks they would never have before. Consequently surfers who never paid their dues never learnt the surfers Tribal Law. Such things as listed above:---
Hang onto your surfboard, don't just jump off it!
Don't drop in or snake others, take your turn.
Communicate with other surfers.
Give respect to gain respect!!!
Most surfers respect the ocean and the environment its also about taking care and respecting others a little more at times aye!

The Magic of the West Coast: Westport's Tip Head brings back memories of long hollow rights and a strong rip that keeps dragging you off the bank. The quality of the waves has to be worth the paddle and the long struggle through the shallows and back up the beach, yup sometimes you gotta work hard to get the gold - but its worth it!                                            Ancient Images:  Family Silver or Forgotten Junk                                

The boss picked out these two shots from a bedraggled contact sheet that he waved under our noses! That's Westport Breakwater February 1976 he snarled. The top one was a cover shot of NZ Tracks magazine and they both featured in a double page photo spread that he got paid $40.00 for. Yup $40.00 - good money in those days photo rates have only gone down since then he reckons!! He took these shots using a Miranda Sensomat RE Camera, a 400mm Safari Lens with a 2X Soligor converter slapped on the end. It was off a tripod and about as sharp as a bloody milkbottle with some cream still stuck on the bottom he reckons.

Above : Ben Rees

The surfers were a carload of Ozzies passing through town. Apparently they cornered the boss at a local gas station wanting to know where all the good spots were cos they hadn't seen any other surfers. The boss wasn't giving an inch he reckons, he'd only settled in town a couple of weeks before and there was no way that he wanted to fall out with the locals! What brought all this on you might be wondering! Well some of the staff had just come back from a West Coast Trip with a few shots of the West Coast, including some that The Boss thought were exactly the same as a couple the boss had shot nearly forty years before - we'll let you be the judge. Jonny Wardrop 2010 Westport Breakwater Ben Rees 2010 Westport Breakwater Even the kid who gets the coffee and the sausage rolls from the bakery down the road had a smirk on his face when he heard The Boss ranting on. But there was no bloody way he was going to contradict The Boss! We weren't say'n anything either, sometimes you gotta just bite your tongue (or in this case a sausage roll) and keep your mouth shut while you chew, its bloody hard when you stomach starts shak'n and you wanna laugh and cough at the same time, cos yuh know its bullshit. But its probably best to let The Boss have his memories and dreams of the past! He pays the bills!!!

Above: Jonny Wardrop  Below Ben Rees