Part 1: 

God, War, Rebellion, Popular Culture, and Surfing

1914 – 1964

It was not surprising that upon returning to Australia, many veterans of WW1 became Surf Club members. The protection of swimmers at the beach was taken very seriously and the surf clubs were highly regimented. Although these men initially rejected the early surfers’ 14 to 16-foot, hollow, toothpick surfboards, they eventually embraced them, using them for paddling races rather than riding waves. They thought of the surfers as different to them, more interested in having fun than saving lives.

In pictures from this period the surfboard riders look like they are mimicking the pose of an athletics trophy; standing bolt upright with their feet glued to the deck of their surfboards. It must have been hard to balance without a fin to stabilise the board but perhaps that was half the fun. Standing with a straight back while appearing unperturbed as your surfboard goes sideways seems analogous to the societal shift about to take place.

Peace had swept through the European and Pacific theatres of war at the conclusion of WWII in 1945. But not everybody in the West returned home and went back to work. Small segments of the population, primarily men, withdrew from society and went their own way. Many of these men were veterans who had seen how despicably humans could behave toward one another and they wanted as little as possible to do with “civilisation”. Some gave up believing in both God and their government. As A B. Facey concluded in his autobiography A Fortunate Life (1981): “It was hard for me to believe there was a God after all of the killing I had seen in Gallipoli… and don’t any of you go taking any notice of the Government’s promises. They will tell ...