1989 - present

Bondi’s surfing prowess has been shaped by many groups, but Bondi Board Riders is its longest-running club. Over time, the dynamics between clubs have been described as tribal and territorial.

In the 1980s two dominant clubs were rivals, each associated with a surf shop and led by a key figure. Surfers were aligned with one club or the other.

Bondi Board Riders was founded by Matthew Elks, who broke away from ITN (In The Nude) surf club. Elks ran one surf store, while ITN was run by David Gyngell. One stocked big commercial brands, the other focused on independent producers and skate supplies.

Tension between the two clubs is still remembered and in Monty Webber's 2022 publication 'Bondi Days' he describes the rivalry as a Shakespearean battle between the 'haves' and the 'have nots'. Such rivalries were common at Bondi and a similar tension occurred in the previous generation of surfers, between the Panache and South Bondi Board Riders clubs.

Elks describes Bondi Board Riders’ early days as ‘organic and inclusive’. He would advertise competitions at the surf shop and welcome anyone who came to the club’s tent on the hill. Sixty boadriders attended the first event, including leading surfer Cheyne Horan who liked the new club’s inclusive approach.

Over time, other surfers spent time with Bondi Board Riders including Ron and Victor Ford, Smokin’ Joe Engel, Richard Cram (former world number 4), Rod Kerr (Bronte surfer for ITN, former world number 6), Horan (former world number two, and world masters champion), Steve Jones (Australian champion), Dean Cook, Bill Power, Ben Webber (Australian champion), Mick Marjanovic and more recently Clancy Dawson, Perth Standlick and Pama Davies, Australia’s number two ranked junior surfer.

Rivalries eventually eroded and Bondi Board Riders embraced the values of clubs including Wind and Sea, Panache and South Bondi Board Riders. In the early 90s the Bondi Board Rdiers club disappeared for a period of time. At a time when Bondi was in the midst of its first major gentrification push, Ray Vuko is attributed with reviving the club. During this period the club provided a crucial sense of belonging and purpose against the backdrop of a rapidly changing Bondi.

Ray’s work to reinvent an important community club was carried on by Beau Sevastos, Ian Wallace and Victoria Austin. Today, Bondi Board Riders remains a club with an inclusive ethos.

Images courtesy Monty Webber.