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I have always had an affinity with the sea and it began when I moved to Ettalong Beach when I was 9 years of age, It's been a long time since I rode my first wave at Ocean Beach on the Central Coast of New South Wales. The OBSA, had its humble beginnings in 1962, an unruly crew, got together in the garage at Stan Green's place, Ocean Beach. It was here the founding members conducted the first meeting to elect the President and Treasurer. There is always the simple approach, the club colours, chocolate brown with white competition stripes, it was the colour of John Monie's new Holden 179 station wagon. How's that for an executive decision? Two 75mm brown stripes, diagonal across the board, with a white one between them about 120mm wide. Matching parkas and boardshorts completed the ensemble - Oh yes, we were getting into the business of being not only the best surfers/fighters on the scene but clothes warriors as well!? The OBSA club badge that was sewn onto all Parkas and Boardshorts made you feel one of the boys & everyone wants to belong.

The logo of a surfer sitting on the beach looking towards Lion Island with surfboard was instigated by the talented Keven (Sabbath) Oxford. How do I know this - well, Sabbath told me! That's him below, left, he had a particular dislike for work and was inclined to believe that every day was a "day of rest", the Sabbath --that's how he got the nickname . Somehow he managed to put something together during his life and no-one can figure out how he managed to do it, we are talking about the Byron Bay Grass Roots & Blues Festival held over four days at Easter, that Keven helped originate. He must have enjoyed a fortunate amount of mental activity for a period of time to work it out!   Take a look! at the local restaurant that he now calls his money spinner. Good on yeah Kev.

After eightmonths in existence the OBSA established itself as the strongest surfers club in the State. Although they didn't win a title during the Newcastle Championships (which they entered every year) they were "way out" leaders in the unofficial point score. All ten acceptances were received by the Newcastle Association and leading the team was John Monie who caught the wave ofthe day on Saturday to gain the top point score. Monie reached the semi-finals of the senior event before being eliminated. Announcer Ross Kelly made a comment to the effect that it seemed to be all Ocean Beach in the heats, quarter-finals and semi-finals. Two members that really impressed were the Monie brothers (they rated space in Tony Pratt's column in the "Sydney Sunday Herald") and their future in the surfing arena looked promising. Both possessing powerhouse styles with confidence and ability which helped to get them under the lip more times than not. There was not a boardriders club on the east coast that could better the OBSA except WindanSea of Manly and that was only because half of the OBSA members were members of WindanSea and had to surf for the WindanSea Club during competitions. 'Sabbath' displayed his ability by taking a trophy for first place junior division during club competition.

Jack Malony's win in the "Central Coast Express" surfboard title (senior division) was thoroughly deserved. It was Jacks powerhouse style and can'tbe beaten attitude that set the standard for others to follow. A big step from the year before when he won the cadet title.
On the right we have Kerry Purdon taking off on a left, he did display a unique style and was a mentor to many. I remember Kerry as "the calming presense"

Up and coming young surfer from Ocean Beach, Robert Hancock (now believed to be hiding out in the Newcastle area?) won the junior event. The six surfers who made the final were the best juniors on the coast - Robert Hancock, Bill Monie, Warren Egi, Lenny Fisher, Ray Wessell, and Colin Wall, who won the cadet title - all members of the OBSA. The contest finished about 2pm and some travelled to Avoca looking for more action. As each surfer knows, every so often they enjoy a really good "session". This was to be it for Bill Monie, "Big" Jack Maloney, Warren Egli, Lenny Fisher. Kevin "The Head" Brennan - (State Juniour/Senior Champ) was also there to stamp his authority. Kevin, who is a Bondi local, was living with some of us in Centennial Park, Sydney at the time. The Head is a no-nonsense, aggressive surfer and this received no argument from anyone after watching him perform in challenging surf. No one else was out and they took over the beach and point breaks. The guys actually "destroyed" the point and made the waves look easy - with Jack taking off so far inside and making waves that were impossible to burst through. The lefts were showing form so Len and Kevin displayed their talents. Avoca is one of the best surfing beaches on the Central Coast. The point, with long tubing reef break waves, and the centre with its giant peaks and long fast lefts. The point will hold waves to about eight feet and then they tend to close out, but the centre is a different story, I have surfed the centre between 10 and 12 feet.

The favourite home break for most locals was "The Box," a magic place, it breaks about 'two mile' off the beach. A series of sandbanks enable a left from "The Box" to the beach. The takeoff is 50 m from the rocks and as soon as ya hit the bottom it starts lining up but is still a little slower for a while untill it hits the inside bars. An eight foot wave, lining up for what seems like forever, turning into an insideout tuberide starting for 150 yards, a big section would come down, then it would peel off perfectly for about another 150 yards and repeat that nearly all the way to the beach. Only breaks on a large S swell however, best with NE offshore winds. If you go to the Guys page you will find a picture of Ocean Beach at the bottom. "The Box" breaks about half way back from the furthest point out, which is "Box Head" - not a bad paddle for a group of young lads. TheBox could be easily spotted with binoculars, from the back road of Palm Beach. Sometimes, while out at the take-off waiting for a wave you would look across pass Lion Island, toward Pittwater and see 3 or 4 half cabin boats loaded with surfboards on top, heading toward the best left on the East Coast. Yeah!, no-one likes to share their waves, no matter who they might be. Always liked to see a tourist wipe out, knowing that it was going to be a long time, without help from anyone, before he hit the Takeoff Area again.

Dedicated to those early surfing friends of mine who helped me enjoy one of the most memorable parts of my life, living out of a car/sleeping bag, usually parked on a Headland, overlooking the surf. Over the years half of the club members went on to obey societal norms & values, Shock - Horror! well the other half fell by the wayside - but still, in the end, leading productive Animal lives so that the legacy lives on.

This site will be constantly under revision so remember to come back soon and see what new anomalies have appeared. Help is also needed from you, in the form of stories, photos, and ideas, especially photos relevant to the site. Some of the shots contained in this site are old and leave a lot to be desired, so we need those photos coming in.

Check out John's (Ropehead) new website - still The Animal
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