The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that thanks to some new findings the legendary Duke Kahanamoku may not have been the first person to ride the wild surf on the beaches of Australia.
The story of the Duke being the first to surf in Australia is a romantic myth,” Mr Maddox said. “I think it is time that Manly Council acknowledged the true birthplace of surfing and put up a monument outside the club on Manly Beach to rival the bronze statue of the Duke.” . . . Mr Maddox’s research, contained in a new book, 100 Years – A Celebration Of Surf Life Saving At North Steyne, has caused a stir in the surfing community.
Historian Mark Maddox claims that Charles Paterson, the first president of the North Steyne lifesaving club, brought a surfboard back from Hawaii several years before Duke’s widely celebrated ride.
[Link: Sydney Morning Herald]
