surf board 46

Back in 1964/65 we were all hanging out on the Sunshine Coast especially around Alexandra Headlands and surfing anywhere from Noosa to Sydney. By all I mean myself, Bob McTavish, Kevin Platt, Russell Hughes, Algy Grud, John Mantle, Bob Cooper, Hayden, George Greenough, Wayne Parkes, Darrell Dell and a whole bunch of others. The area also had a constant stream of good surfers passing through. My parents owned a hotel at Caloundra (home of Moffat Beach, great pointbreak) and I did a little work there but really wanted to be in the surfboard business. It was all very young then and the rest of the boys were all working at Hayden's. They made good boards, didn't earn much money but had a good lifestyle and plenty of time to surf. It was during this period that I started to get a feel for the surfboard industry and learn how the boards were being built.
Kevin Platt and Bob Mctavish were the shapers, Algy Grud glassed while Russell Hughes sanded and finish coated. John Mantle soon joined us a second finish coater. Orders were coming in thick and fast and some of the best surfers in the country were, riding Cord boards and coming to the Sunshine coast, Kevin Brennan, Nat Young and Peter Drouyn to name but a few and a strong N.Z. contingent headed up by Wayne Parkes. We also had a constant stream of U.S. surfers passing through and they'd all take Cord boards back with them. The U.S. surfers heard about what was happening through Bob Cooper or George Greenough who were both hooked on the place.






As we got busier, my mate Darrell Dell (Rooster) joined us and learnt to shape under Bob Mctavish. Rooster already had 5 years in the business having left school to work at Joe Larkin surfboards where he got an apprentiship in all aspects of surfboard production. From there Rooster went up to Hayden's factory at Alexandra Headlands before joining me at Cord. He's still shaping today and I would say is one of the best shapers not only in Australia, but also in the world. Kevin Platt was also a truly great shaper and just turned out lovely boards for the era.



I think it was late in '65 that there was a big blowup at the Hayden factory and the boys were all either fired or quit. Right about that time I'd been talking to my parents about financing a surfboard factory for me. I was just 17. They didn't like the idea of me being a dedicated surfer but I guess they must have figured it was a good opportunity for me so they agreed to fund it. I'd already discussed my plans with Bob McTavish, Kevin Platt, Russell Hughes and Algy Grud. They were all real keen and agreed to come and work for me. We needed a name and settled on "Cord" and so a surfboard label was born. I found a suitable building in Caloundra and we fitted it out and began production.