An almost 90-year-old surfboard associated with one of the most influential surfers of all time has been retrieved from a garage and put on permanent display at Bond University.
The 4.2m board features the revolutionary hollow design of legendary American athlete, inventor and writer Tom Blake which was patented in 1932. Before then boards were made from solid timber and could weigh 100kg or more.
The board was donated to the university by Joe Riewoldt, father of AFL legend Nick Riewoldt, and was proudly displayed in Joe’s home for many years.
When Mr Riewoldt moved to Melbourne he left the board with his childhood friend Chris Nathan – but it is so big it would not fit in Mr Nathan’s house and remained in his garage.
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“Joe bought the board from Kirra Surf in 1997,” Mr Nathan said.
“I know that Joe and Fiona are proud of their donation. They want people to see the board, to know its history and what it means to the surfing culture of the Gold Coast.”
Bond University Vice Chancellor and President Tim Brailsford said the surfboard would serve as a visible reminder of the university's connections to the sport.
“I know a huge number of our students and staff surf, and we’ve had a number of students compete at the highest international level including Rachael Tilly who was the women's longboard world champion,” Professor Brailsford said.
“We conduct research that is tangential to the world of surfing, all the way from health and biomechanics through to the business of the surf industry, film and media.
“A number of our alumni are working with the World Surf League, and Bond University is an educational partner of the World Surf League.”
A similar board representing Tom Blake’s design is in the collection of the Smithsonian in Washington, DC.
Mr Blake, a competitive swimmer, lifeguard and friend of fellow surf legend Duke Kahanamoku, took up surfing in Hawaii in the 1920s and began to experiment with surfboard construction.
His hollow designs cut the weight of boards in half and fuelled the first boom in the sport. The boards were also used by lifesavers as rescue boards.
In 1935 Blake invented the surfboard fin which would further revolutionise the sport.
He also pioneered surf photography with a homemade waterproof camera housing, and wrote the Hawaiian Surfboard, the first history of surfing.
Blake died in 1994 aged 92.