Byron Bay Malibu Club inc.

An Update from Sput Keevers

El Presidente (in 2006)

This time 25 years ago I was organising the Byron Bay Easter Classic. I think I was into my second or third year as club president of the Byron Seahorse Boardriders Club and I was probably saying to my committee then - thank Christ the old mals are gone and have done their own thing, as we use to have them in our classic as side division. Guys like Graham Wills , Peter Robo, Mark Hankin and Greg Snelling were some of the competitors. These blokes and more - like Yvonne & Max Pendergast, Chris Milgate, Louise Tiernan, and Roy Miesel - are still members or life members, 25 years later.

The foundation members have seen a lot of different people come and go with this club but along the way the reason for the establishment of The Malibu Club Byron Bay was to have a club that people young and old could gather, on one Sunday of the month, and have a social surf with a bbq, drinks and tell stories of the week gone past or what they were going to do up until the next time they met - and keep the tradition of Malibu riding alive.

What’s changed ? Nothing! This still goes on today - with the club having a membership of 110 and ages from 3 to 65 years old.

The tradition has been carried on over the last 25 years - egos and want-to-be’s have been weeded out of the club because we are a big family who just want to have fun and surf with no hassles.

Probably my first encounter with the mal club was when they had a night up at the surf club and it was a talent quest. This guy called Spoofy got up in a yellow polkerdot bikini - with Yvonne and Fay either side - and sung the “Yellow Polkerdot Bikini” song. Then, not to be outdone, Dennis Day got up and sang Elvis Presley songs and killed the lot of them! That’s when I said this is what surfing’s all about.

Dennis Day has moved on but our Johnny Keevers filled his shoes in the singing department. There is no substitute for Spoofy yet.

O

ver the past 25 years the club has had its low and high times with membership fluctuating from 25 members at one point to now 110. A healthy club is because of its committee and members. We have made sister clubs in New Zealand and Hawaii with the friends we have met. Over the years a lot of the junior & senior members have gone on to represent their region and state at state titles and Australian titles.

Sponsors are a big success to the annual Classic - and our major sponsor, The Byron Bay Bowling Club, we thank for all the years they have been on board - as without them we wouldn’t have been able to donate the $100,000 we have raised over the last 25 years.

The next annual classic will be nothing extra special, because we believe in the old formula which we have been doing for years - and that’s surf, sprook and drink.

Sput.