That time MP went windsurfing at Currumbin
Most surfers, particularly the more senior among us, have heard about Michael Peterson's infamous car chase in 1983. The one that began at Beenleigh, north of the Gold Coast, involved up to twenty police cars, and ended with MP being hauled into Boggo Road Gaol. What many people don't know is that MP was on his way to Noosa for a surf, and what even fewer know is that he was heading there not simply to surf, but to windsurf.
Yeah, MP, the greatest surfer of his generation, took a shine to the burgeoning sport of windsurfing in the early-80s. We could take guesses why he did so, maybe he was jaded with surfing's creeping commercialism, or perhaps he felt hidebound by public expectation, but we'd never know for sure; MP was largely lost to the surfing public during those years as he wavered between addiction and abstinence, wagered a fight against his mental demons, and increasingly spent time away from the spotlight on the far south coast of NSW.
Recently, photographer Greg Button was going through some of his photo archives and found these photos of MP windsurfing at Currumbin. Button was on the Gold Coast to shoot the 1981 Stubbies at Burleigh Heads, the contest which four years earlier, Peterson had won. It was his last professional victory.
Greg takes up the story:
"During the Stubbies surfing contest in 1981 I stayed in an old wooden house on the beach front road that runs along towards the Currumbin river mouth. Late one afternoon we were sitting on the veranda having a beer or two. The surfers we were staying with happened to mention that Michael Peterson often went windsurfing off the beach by himself and sure enough MP turned up on the that cloudy late afternoon.
Michael rigged his craft and spent the next hour or so sailing in solitude off the beach with no audience or onlookers. I quickly grabbed my trusty camera, telephoto lens, set it up on the veranda and shot a roll of 400 A.S.A. film in the fading light.
With Michael Peterson's passing these photos now might be able to show that, although not surfing much in the early eighties, he was still privately pursuing his love of the ocean.
These photos were contributed to Tracks magazine at the time but were returned as unsuitable but I now believe they maybe the only photos of the great MP windsurfing."
All photos by Greg Button.
Comments
"Recently, photographer Greg Button was going through some of his photo archives and found these photos of MP windsurfing at Currumbin. Button was on the Gold Coast to shoot the 1981 Stubbies at Burleigh Heads, the contest which four years earlier, Peterson had won. It was his last professional victory. In fact, his last preofessional competition."
Stu after the famous Stubbies victory didn't Peterson travel down to Victoria with Owl Chapman in a famous road trip to surf the Oke contest which would have been his last professional contest?
Hey! Who's doing the history-telling here, me or you?
....fixed.
977 Alan Oke Memorial Contest, Phillip Island, Victoria
1st Ian Cairns 6th Col Smith (New)
2nd Terry Fitzgerald 7th Wayne Batholomew
3rd Rory Russell (H) 8th Michael Petersen
4th Wayne Lynch 9th Steve Jones
5th Terry Richardson 10th Michael Ho (H)The officials' decision not to allow legropes in the final was not appreciated by some competitors, and following this contest, legropes became standard contest equipment.
This was the last Australian professional contest to prohibit legropes.
...the final was to be held at Blacks ... a total kamaikazi spot with the reef only slightly
below the surface. Kanga Cairns senses the waves suit his full-on, no-holds-barred
approach and insists that if he doesn't wear a legrope, no-one else should either.
- Peter Crawford :The Alan Oke Memorial Contest
Surfing World Magazine, Volume 25 Number 3 July 1977, page 61.
Blacks being the old name for EP (Express point)
Why was it called Blacks indo? Why the name change to EP?
Racial xenophobia!
No history behind the name just racial xenophobia?
Why Blacks? From memory there is a midden nearby, so maybe that's why?.
Will ask some older guys when i get the chance why the change of name, but i just think it was a case of some calling it Blacks and some Express point (kinda like Lance's right & Hollow Tree's) and Express point kinda became more popular, maybe because better sounding.
Even as a grommet in the mid to late 80,s everyone called it Express so it's been a long time since it's been known as Blacks.
So if the name Blacks was due to a midden nearby I wouldn't consider it xenophobic. EP does sound better and theres already a blacks in SA. Thanks for the info Indo is that area Gunai Kurnai country?
There you go Stu he came 8th cool pics and story thanks for sharing.
No worries. And thanks for proof-reading!
Good trivia with the Oke being the last comp to prohibit leggies.
There is footage of MP and others at Express at least one year, saw it on channel 31 years ago .... someone should chance it up ... Phillip Island Board Riders?
Good play by Kanga to get a competitive advantage too. Read the book about MP and it seems his Windsurfing adventures were as far out as his surfing. One story I recall reading was about him off the Goldy surfing massive offshore windswell.
What would you give for a recording of the conversations in that car? Does my head in just thinking about it. Fear And Loathing On Phillip Island?
Unsuitable for a shit mag with every 2nd page about board shorts and pop outs..u get some speed on those bad boys...
Hows that pic of MP as a goofyfooter! on the sail back out shot, Gold!
One of the best ever RIP
Here's one for you ! It was 1976 , my first trip to Angourie. Carpark was only just a look out for those who remember that. The track down to beach went a different way. We made our way down to the beach for the walk out to keyhole. Before doing the walk, I noticed this figure sitting at "life and death"just looking out to sea and with board in tow. Had heard stories of Baddy surveying everybody who dared entered the area to surf good Angourie but it was not him. I took a second look and as a grommet back then MP was the man we all wanted to be. I was sure it was him. I turned to my mates and they all said No way, why would he be here when he surfs Kirra and Burleigh . My reply was innocent, maybe he just wanted to get away from the crowd and not to be noticed. Well we all know the story from there. I might add we never saw him surf that day which was 4-6 ft Angas and from outside to the bowl was awesome as anyone knows who has surfed it like that. I did hear that day though. He did surf it late that arvo when it was extreme low tide and he was getting barrelled out at suck rock / platform boil with amazing accuracy. Ahh the lengend still holds true. RIP MP your surfing prowess and style will always be remembered .
After Mick stayed over for a couple of weeks he talked me into coming up to Qld so took a few days off work and went with him for company. We had an arvo surf at Angourie, 1st stop on the way up so not surprised he was there. Was early winter '74 when we went. Caught up with the locals and flew back a few days later.
He liked the place and surfed anywhere and everywhere he could so why would those guys say it couldn't be him surfing Angourie? Obviously you were right and your mates had no idea who MP was at that time!
Hang on Fong???
Didn't you mean to say how MP was on drugs and there was a massive conspiracy by the IPS (or whatever it was called back then) to cover it up?
how many days would he have spent there!
Yeah, MP, the greatest surfer of his generation, took a shine to the burgeoning sport of windsurfing in the early-80s. We could take guesses why he did so
Perhaps it is because windsurfing is fun?