1973

I have so many great stories of Smith's Beach.

Growing up and going to school in Busselton we could hitch to Yals and walk over to Smiths. My earliest surfing experience was on a blow up mat straight down from the old Smiths carpark back around 1973.

It was grey howling onshore winds creating boiling brown turbulent water, with a decent swell and all sorts of currents. Mum and Dad would have had a fit if they had seen us. We should have been drowned and I don't know why we didn't but we had a great time.

Later there was learning how to ride standups, with Neil Strong and a few mates on his old red twin fin without any wax on it. It was hard going. But the best was a day at supertubes, when the swell picked up from 2 foot to 8 foot in about an hour. We all got washed up on the beach, sitting amongst our broken boards totally satisfied.

Why do these people want to completely alter the feel of the place. They must have rocks in their heads. Maybe we should send them out at supertubes at 10 foot and ask them about basic values.

Joe Surfer

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