Founding members Ian McKimm, Bob Gunter and Sam Egan have come together to retell the story of how the MSC came to be what it is today. We’re stoked to continue our support of this incredible club, celebrating its members, both past and present, and the wonderful impact they have on our community.
WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
Written by Ian McKimm, Bob Gunter and Sam Egan.
It all began back in 1961 when a couple of young fellows met at a boarding house in Mayfield, who had come to the Newcastle area to study and work at some of the BHP enterprises. One of their common interests was surfing—board riding, to be specific! Neither of them had a decent board and obviously, having great access to Newy’s iconic beaches, they went looking to update their gear. At that time, there was only one place in Newcastle to buy a new surfboard, which was in the used car showroom of the legendary Ray Richards on Hunter Street, of course!
Since funds were very limited, it was resolved that second-hand boards might offer a more affordable way to upgrade equipment. This proved a fairly fruitless task, as there were very few second-hand boards available and they were a little worse for wear, so to speak!
Bob, being the ideas man, came up with the concept of slipping down to Brookvale in Sydney to look around the various board manufacturing shops, returning with a couple of sticks in hand. On the way back, Bob suggested opening up their own second-hand board shop in Newy – so, on went the thinking caps, and that’s how it all began!
After some research, Bob found a vacant house for rent at 100 Frederick Street, with The Beach Hotel across the road and Merewether Beach over the back fence. What more could a couple of young blokes want? They moved in and were quick to take advantage of the great surf and the very friendly locals. Selling surf boards presented a few problems for a couple of guys working day jobs while trying to organise catch-ups with potential buyers…
Fortunately, a small spare shop front had become vacant and available directly across the road at 93 Frederick Street. The lease was signed, and the lads started trading in second-hand surfboards, t-shirts, board wax, surfing magazines and any associated surfing gear they could get their hands on. What else would you call it but The Merewether Surf Shop?
As time progressed and the association grew stronger with Scott Dillon, they began selling the odd new board here and there. During this period of development, they became known to and friends with a young Sam Egan, a local surfer and ding repairer. Discussions would naturally arise, suggesting that Sam leave his day job and start manufacturing surfboards in Newcastle to sell in the shop… Thus was the birth of Sam Surfboards!
As the business grew, it became obvious that the surf shop would have to open longer and offer more regular hours. The rest is history, with both Bob and Ian moving on and leaving Sam and his family to carry on the now successful and legendary Egan surfing dynasty.
As you would imagine, right from day one, the shop became a great place to hang out for many of the locals. The backyard of 100 Frederick Street became a great place to keep the surfboards, too. Therefore, it is totally understandable as to how and why the inaugural meeting of the Merewether Surfboard Club started with the gathering in the front yard of 100 Frederick Street, Merewether.
