1961 - present

Matthew Ellks was one of a generation of notable Bondi surfers who spent their early years tuning their skills on the breaks and waves of Sydney’s eastern beaches. He helped establish many of the competitions and conventions that remain part of Bondi's surf culture.

Ellks was raised in Paddington and, as the son of a salesman, was described as the ‘working class kid’ of Cranbrook School. In 1978, he came 7th in the NSW surfing titles and embarked on a professional career in the sport.

In the 1980s he was part of the In The Nude (ITN) surfing group, co-ordinating competitions and erecting a tent on the hill at North Bondi, hosting informal surf competitions and fostering a strong sense of community, mentoring local surfers. The events were affectionally known as Ellk-abouts. Trips to Hawaii were also organised, cultivating exchanges of knowledge and skills.

By 1989, Matthew had left ITN and created a new surfing club with a strong community focus, opening a surf and skate business on the South Bondi hill, placing a poster in the window announcing the first competition of his new club. It was the birth of the Bondi Board Riders.

On its first event, 60 attended including leading surfer Cheyne Horan who was drawn to the new club’s inclusive approach. Many surf clubs have emerged on the eastern beaches, but Bondi Board Riders has outlived them. Rivalries and numerous breakaways occurred, but Bondi Board Riders is considered a manifestation of all past clubs.

Ellks left Bondi in 1997, relocating to Yamba, on the North Coast. He married, aged 45, and moved to North Bali. He set up Villa Selina, where he continues surfing and focuses on writing, his time at Bondi a key part of his reflections.

After years writing for surf publications such as Tracks and Waves, Ellks wrote his first book, 'Scum Valley', followed by 'Bondi, Bali and Beyond' and then 'A Bondi Story'. The publications offer unique insights into Bondi’s working class origins and its surf culture in the 70s and 80s. Ellks describes this period as a golden era of surfing in Australia.

Courtesy Matthew Elks and Tracks Magazine.