Bob was an outstanding Merewether competitor in the late sixties. A consistent finalist in major contents from 1966 to 1970, including the 1969 Bobby Brown Memorial and 1969 NSW and Australian Opens. He caused an absolute sensation by winning the 1968 Senior Mattara from a star studded field. He was the first Newcastle surfer to win a Mattara after it graduated to become Australia’s first “professional” event in 1965. Nat Young (twice) and Russell Hughes were the previous winners. Midget Farrelly stated in his newspaper column that if Bob ever got a fast left at his disposal he would annihilate his opposition. That happened in ’68 at Mattara.
