Presidents
WAYNE ARTHUR: 1991 – 1994
NICKNAME: Arch – from the comic book series. Better than his mate Jughead which is a bit more appropriate
SQUATTER OR NOMAD?: i.e. born in Taranaki or moved here. Squatter – Born and Bred. Same marble patch as Doug Hislop HOW I GOT STARTED IN SURFING – Saw some guys into it at Mikotahi. Thought that was me. Got a fellow marbler, Ray Rowson, to help make a board and we took it to Back Beach and broke it on the 3rd or 4th wave. Too late – we were hooked and I was on crutches from a broken toe after venting my spleen and kicking the board up and down the length of the beach.
THOUGHTS ON MY PRESIDENTIAL TERM: Stoked that the idea of the club flew – and that there were enough surfers mature enough to help it fly. A bit like the Wright brothers although the council looked upon us as the Wrong Bros until we proved ourselves.
WAYNE YEARBURY: 1995 – 1997
NICKNAME: BYRDS spelling taken from the rock group THE BYRDS in relation to surfing style and love their music.
SQUATTER OR NOMAD?: Squatter-born in Taranaki.
HOW I GOT STARTED IN SURFING: Walking along the beach one day and a guy was trying to ride his new board, without much luck. He asked if I could surf I wanted a go so said yes and managed to stand up and not much later all my mates were starting to get boards.
THOUGHTS ON MY PRESIDENTIAL TERM: The thing I like most about the club is how when we have a project on like the stairway extension we all pitched in to build it finishing it in time but having to improvise on the stairs with scaffolding etc to have our next do. This is working as a club taking ownership and having pride in the club.
CHARLES ROEBUCK: 1998 – 2000
NICKNAME: Don’t have one. (that I know of.)
SQUATTER OR NOMAD: Squatter – Born and Bred and proud of it.
HOW I GOT STARTED IN SURFING: Grew up by the sea. My older siblings were East End Clubbies and that definitely wasn’t an option. Started surfing with a few mates when I was 12.
THOUGHTS ON MY PRESIDENTIAL TERM: Good people, good times.
MY VISION FOR THE CLUB IN THE FUTURE: A place for like souls to gather and develop a surfing culture without bullshit and aggro.
JOHN BOLTON: 2001 – 2003.
NICKNAME: Bubbles (don’t be nosey)
SQUATTER OR NOMAD?: Squatter born in The Naki.
HOW I GOT STARTED IN SURFING: I moved to Hamblyn St when I was 13.
THOUGHTS ON MY PRESIDENTIAL TERM: Great fun and proud to be part of the team that organised the World Masters in 2003.
MY VISION FOR THE CLUB IN THE FUTURE: Win the bloody cricket!
JAY FREDERIC WHITAKER: 2004 – 2006
NICKNAME : Jay Boy (Never grew up really)
SQUATTER OR NOMAD?: Squatter
HOW I GOT STARTED IN SURFING: My brother Royce made my first board with Colin Lamplough and Walshy glassed it A 6 ft sideslipper made out of a old dunga 1969. I was 12 years old. First green wave that summer at The Gap and never looked back.
THOUGHTS ON MY PRESIDENTIAL TERM: Some of the things am proud to have achieved on my watch: club building upgrade; reclad new windows and doors, sound proofing, lawn out front, saving and upgrading w/c block,downstairs upgrade and office, new carpet, Kirra club trip and comp for members, coastal bus trip and rage at Okato, starting life member selection, Friday night work shouts, Foundation Fridays, Womad Wednesdays, Dunga Derby boards and traditional board purchase from Nigel, and being around for the Boardy Boys club scene that was so much fun A big thanks to my hard-working committee for the three-year term. Also seeing our groms forge national honours, and learning how to run an Easter comp. All great fun and part of my life I will never forget. THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES!
MY VISION FOR THE CLUB IN THE FUTURE: I would like to see us keep it real. Don’t forget the people from the beginning that made it all happen to include all board wave riding sports and not be too precious about ourselves. Having fun should be our first priority. Keep the beer cheap! And get Sky back on!
STEPHEN SADGROVE: 2007 – 2009
SQUATTER OR NOMAD?: Moved here in the Summer of 1979.
HOW I GOT STARTED IN SURFING: 1965 Mr Schofield (a friend of my father) gave him an old board- thought I might be interested.
MARK O’CONNOR: 2010
NICKNAME: Had a few over the years but none have seemed to stick.
SQUATTER OR NOMAD?: Nomad. Although my wife Shaz is a Squatter.
HOW I GOT STARTED IN SURFING: Started with my brother & four good mates as it looked like good fun & all the surfers seemed to score the hottest girls.
THOUGHTS ON MY PRESIDENTIAL TERM: Challenging & stressful at times but all in all good fun.
MY VISION FOR THE CLUB IN THE FUTURE: To continue to provide a great environment for club members to socialise & compete Young & Oldim.
STEVE CROTON: 2011 – 2013
Content to follow.
DAISY DAY: 2014 – 2017
SQUATTER OR NOMAD: I’m a blow-in from Castlecliff Beach, Whanganui. Did a lot of surfing in the Taranaki area before the big shift in 1985, to work for The Daily News. The sole year I was to be here, turned into many
HOW I GOT STARTED IN SURFING: Heard the Beach Boys singing about surfing when I was about 8-10 years old. Friends in Whanganui got me interested and bought my first board from a little town called Marton , a bright yellow Titcombe 6 ft single fin in 1976. I was as blind as a bat and couldn’t see big sets. Got flung a Salt Water kneeboard ( I can talk about it now) and had a lot of fun on that. Still couldn’t see.
Got back on the shorter board after getting contact lenses. I could see! Had several mini mals and fat quad for a few years, and then the longboarding got me well and truly
THOUGHTS ON MY PRESIDENTIAL TERM: It was a hard one. The club was hitting a wee bit of a slump, as many sporting clubs were at the time. Some of our past club leaders and members were backing off. Time they had a rest, if it wasn’t for them we wouldn’t have this amazing club. With the change in leadership and many of the new committee away, my first dibs at the Easter Masters were scuppered.
Our fantastic club band The Boardy Boys founded by past president Mark O’Connor, had disbanded earlier leaving us wanting for a fun members night. So we got the family Friday fun nights started with new kids learning to surf. They were allowed to bring their parents along, and the membership increased. A great success We resumed the popular music nights Arch used to organise during the start of his reign .. back in the day when you could bring your own beers to the club! The comps and contests were firing as well as the BBQ, and the hire of the club was finally welcomed as a much needed earner.
We were becoming noticed as a great facility and as I ran my then Surf City surf school , our identity grew as a safe place to educate on everything about surfing.
MY VISION FOR THE CLUB IN THE FUTURE: This club keeps on getting better. As long as we put the energy into our members, our growing posse of groms, our training and competition programmes, our hosting of events and the extremely popular and vital Surfing For Farmers.
So much more vision and positivity from our current president Mark Dwyer and this committee absolutely rocks
We have been fortunate in funding to have out-buildings and roofing etc replaced.
We have fulfilled the club’s founder (Arch aka Wayne Arthur) wish of having our first ever National Champ, Daniel Farr, and our finest woman surfer Natasha Gouldsbury. A vision shared by me, especially on the surfing female side.
Having the dedicated club groms being selected for the NZ Surfing Team to El Salvador was another proud moment. Recently the inclusion of Daniel Farr and Natasha Gouldsbury to compete for NZ at The World Surfing Games at Huntington, California
And may it continue, just like the Easter Masters!
MARK DWYER: 2018 – CURRENT
SQUATTER OR NOMAD: Nomad – originally a mainlander
HOW I GOT STARTED IN SURFING: Weekend roadies to Ch Ch from landlocked Ashvegas as soon as we got our driving licences at 15. Learning at Sumner and Taylors, got the bug then moved to West Oz.
THOUGHTS ON MY PRESIDENTIAL TERM: Has been a challenging one with the covid lockdowns etc but still managed to get through it. Feel privileged to be allowed to continue as pres for another term with an awesome committee.
Love the different crew involved in the club, the strong competitive crew who put a lot of energy into running regular comps and the social crew who love a good boogie and a Fanta!
Proud to support the members who push the comps, proof is in the pudding, with the clubs first national champ, groms getting selected in the NZ team , competing overseas at different events representing the club and their country!
MY VISION FOR THE CLUB IN THE FUTURE: Continuing to keep the membership strong, the club financial as well as having heaps of fun is important to me and keep the club moving forward after all the hard yakka from the pres and committees before us.
