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Four Corners: Surf culture hits Australia in the 1960s

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Old photo shows teenagers sitting on beach with surfboard
Four Corners: Surf culture hits Australia in the 1960s

SUBJECTS:  History

YEARS:  9–10


How did surf culture change Australian popular culture?

Rock music and the concept of the 'teenager' had arrived in Australia in the 1950s but in the 1960s the surfboard gave rise to a new youth subculture.

This clip from 1964 explores conflict in the water and cultural changes that came with the rise of the 'surfie'.


Things to think about

  1. 1.Why did surf culture have such a big impact in Australia in the 1960s? Surf beaches had long been popular destinations because many Australians lived near the coast. But it was the sudden rise of surfboard riding, which involved speed, danger and great skill, that attracted teenagers. It gave them a new sense of identity, freedom and rebellion.
  2. 2.What do the signs on the beaches tell you about the restrictions on surfboard riders? What does Bob Brewster, the supervisor at Sydney's Manly beach, say about problems caused by surfboard riders? How were such problems dealt with? How did Gavin Cooper, the 'nomadic surfer', spend his time? How was he able to support his lifestyle and what lifestyle was he seeking to escape?
  3. 3.As you view this clip, you will notice changes to youth culture, including a new vocabulary and new hairstyles, that arrived with surfboard riding. What were these changes and what evidence does this clip provide for their origins and the reasons for their adoption by surfboard riders?
  4. 4.With the rise of surf culture came surf music and from around 1964 many teenagers would buy any record that featured the 'surf sound'. Find appropriate sources to investigate the popularity of two songs referred to in the clip; one containing the lines 'blonde-headed, stompie wompie, real gone surfer boy' and the other called 'Hangin' five'.

Date of broadcast: 1 May 1964


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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