Moffateers surfers reunite 50 years on

IT'S been 50 years since Ma and Pa Bendall formed the first surfriders club in Caloundra and former members reunited to celebrate on Saturday night.

IT'S been 50 years since Ma and Pa Bendall formed the first surfriders club in Caloundra and former members reunited to celebrate on Saturday night.

The Moffateers, established in 1966, was started to give surfers a healthy competitive environment so they could improve their skills.

Windansea Boardriders treasurer Andy Geddes said the best Coast surfers of the 1960s were a part of the Moffateers.

"It was formed to promote good sportsmanship and healthy living for young surfers," he said.

"Ma and Pa Bendall were regular surfers in Caloundra in the early sixties. Once the Moffateers was formed in 1966, several nose riding contests were held in the late sixties as the club grew to 50 members.

"After Pa Bendall died, the club became the Caloundra Boardriders Club and won the Queensland Club Championship in 1971.

"It then became Windansea which is the club that now runs the Ma and Pa Bendall Memorial contest every Easter in Caloundra."

Mr Geddes said 18 of the original members met up at the Caloundra Power Boat Club for the 50 year reunion to discuss "memories of huge waves ridden" and "old flames".

One of those original members, Kingsley Kernovske said the reunion was like "living history".

"To see everyone again the other night was such dejavu and was like going back to being 15 again with all my heroes and mates," he said.

"You don't get those opportunities too often in life. It was cool as."

Mr Kernovske said he joined the Moffateers towards the end of the club but was one of the only non-locals to be allowed to be involved.

"Pa Bendall started the Moffateers to get the young kids at Caloundra and keep them out of trouble and grow the sport," he said.

"It was pretty loose.

"Most of the kids involved were 15 or 16, there wasn't many over 20, but they were all very talented surfers.

"I was from the north side of Brisbane and my friend had a house at Moffats that we'd go up to every weekend. We were the only outsiders to Caloundra that were invited to join the club so we were very privileged and honoured to be a part of that."

Mr Kernovske said his interactions with Ma and Pa Bendall within the Moffateers still influenced his life today.

"Pa and Ma did an absolutely magnificent job with the Moffateers," he said.

"I've travelled all over the world and it's always a privilege to talk about Pa and Ma Bendall and what they did for the kids.

"I love to help the kids that are up and coming and make some boards to give them here and there and I do that because of what Pa instilled in me years ago in the Moffateers."

He said all of the members of the Windansea Boardriders still carried on the legacy of the Moffateers.

"It's absolutely brilliant to have the legacy of the Moffateers still running strong through Windansea," he said.

"The premise of the Moffateers was to help the future and young up and coming surfers and it's a good thing that all the club members are still wanting to carry on Pa's legacy.

"They do that through still running his event which is the second longest running event in the history of surfing.

"It's absolutely brilliant."