The Evolution of the Twin Fin When we shaped our first 8-foot surfboard in March 1968, the drop-down from the massive 10-foot loggers was a huge step. Our first attempt at riding these revolutionary boards was at Duranbah, Tweed Heads, on a Graeme Merrin surfboard called the "Growler" in late December 1967. Phil was quicker to learn than I was. Maybe his bigger feet provided some extra stability; at any rate, knee paddling would soon become a lost art. From that moment, the need for more manoeuv

Phil’s Best Mate John Taylor – Mr Rallycross Paul and I met John and David Taylor surfing at the Second Carpark in 1970. John was riding a 9’6″ Max Gill surfboard that was almost identical to the board Paul and I first surfed. Not too long after, John came around to Haldane Street, Bonbeach, to order the first of 15 to 20 Red Rhino chasers. These surfboards were always the exact same colour so that JT’s wife, Dot, wouldn’t notice he was buying a new one every year, normally just before Christmas

Phil and I got to know Tony quite well in the early 1970s when we purchased a few pieces of memorabilia (including an original Endless Summer poster with advertised showing dates at the Dendy Brighton) and manufacturing aids (sash clamps) from him as he closed the South Melbourne store. It is with great regret that we never saw him surf, but there is no doubt he was an absolute gun with very little fear of those giant ocean swells. He must have been extremely fit with a huge lung capacity to eve

Our Vintage Surf Day, held on the 12th of November 2017, was once again a spectacular success with a record attendance, good weather, and approximately $7,000 raised for the Disabled Surfers Association. All credit goes to the organizers, Phil Newman and Phil Trigger, with special thanks to George Rice and the dozens of worker bees whose names aren’t up in lights. Phil and I know who you are, and we certainly appreciated the helping hand. As we have all seen over the years, this event is not jus

JOHN SCHULTZ A very interesting surfboard from the early 1960s recently came into our Point Leo store for some refurbishing. The new owners, brothers Richard and Les Stokes from Shoreham, had been gifted the board by a neighbour whom they had met surfing in Western Port Bay. The 10-foot Okonui is an old George Rice "Island Model," designed specifically for the big waves that had become the ultimate challenge down at Bells Beach in the early sixties. Just to ride these heavy boards back then, yo

The Victorian Manufacturing Titles was the brainchild of Peninsula surfers Ian Weir and Bazza Burns, with the inaugural event to be conducted on an East Coast surf break. All the major Victorian surfboard manufacturers (Island, Balin, Rip Curl, Water Cooled, Strapper, and Oke) entered, with most of the state’s best surfers attending. Some members of Team Trigger were still smarting after losing the State Teams Title at the same venue a year earlier. As the Trigger Bros coach, manager, and motiva

Garry Taylor (affectionately known as GT or "Flea") sizing up the face at Gunnamatta in the mid-90s. Even decades later, there are only a handful of surfers who could come close to shredding a wave like GT. I spoke to our shaper Simon Forward—a great surfer in his own right—about this photo. He recalls surfing with GT down at the Second Carpark when the two of them returned at the end of their competitive careers to compete in a Peninsula Boardriders Club (PSC) event. Aerials were just becomi

The Trigger Bros Surf Crew U14 Team at Sometimes, Point Leo. From left: Christian Clarke, Simon Trigger, Dave Barras, John “Stilts” O’Neill, Matt Trigger, and Nic Clarke. It's no wonder they had their little competition at Sometimes, as four of the six were goofies (Phil had actually forced Matt and Simon into being goofy-footers, even though he was a natural footer himself). Apart from Stilts, all the boys grew up right by the water’s edge at Leo. Nic was the best surfer of the group and, at 1

Following many years of worthy service transporting our stock from store to store, as well as taking us on trips to the surf and snow, we finally had to put the old girl out to pasture in the backyard of the Point Leo shop. Wilko and I drove hundreds of thousands of kilometres in this magnificent Holden panel van. Like many of the Ford and Holden cars residing by the coast, the salt air caused major rust. Once your feet fell through the floor, it was time for a Phil Trigger makeover, complete wi

Our good mate Alan "Wally" Tibballs is an elite sportsman in every sense of the word. Before an illustrious career in the waves, he was a Victorian Pole Vaulting Champion and a very good country footballer for the Bonbeach F.C. with—I am told—a leap like Jesaulenko. Alan followed in his older brother Colin’s footsteps; Big Col was a very handy ruckman for Edithvale, and Alan played the same position in the U15s. For some reason, he switched clubs to Bonbeach in that very first year (even he does