Northern beaches surfing pioneer Greg McDonagh dies
GREG McDonagh started building plywood boards under the family home at Harbord in the 1950s before going on to international fame as one of the pioneers of the Australian surfboard industry.
Manly
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GREG McDonagh started building plywood boards under the family home at Harbord in the 1950s before going on to international fame as one of the so-called “Brookvale Six” — the pioneers of the Australian surfboard industry.
Then, with his little brother Denis, he founded the still popular Surf Dive ‘n Ski retail chain in 1964.
Greg McDonagh, 82, died on the Gold Coast on July 18 after a short illness.
The McDonagh brothers, who went to school at the old Christian Brothers College in Manly, were among the first handmade board manufacturers to experiment with polyurethane foam to make boards lighter and more responsive.
They set up McDonagh Surfboards in 1960 and had their factory and shop at the corner of Condamine St and Pittwater Rd, where Warringah Mall is now.
Along with the rest of the Brookvale Six — Barry Bennett, Scott Dillon, Denny Keogh, Bill Wallace and Gordon Woods — the brothers were at the forefront of what became a massive board making industry.
The outgoing and likeable Greg was inducted into the International Surfboard Builders Hall of Fame for his pioneering designs.
Denis McDonagh told the Manly Daily this week that their careers started in the family home on the point at the northern end of Freshwater Beach, on the site of the Harbord Diggers Club.
“I was working on coffee and copra plantations in Papua New Guinea and Greg called me and asked me to come back to help in the business. So I did.” Denis said.
Four years later the pair rented a shop in George St, in the CBD, to sell their boards.
“Then we started putting in other surf gear, clothing, dive equipment and then the snow skis and other winter gear,” Denis said. “We named it Surf Dive ‘n Ski. We used to have up 50 or 60 people queuing out the door at lunchtimes.”
The brothers later expanded the business to eight shops with outlets at shopping centres, including Warringah Mall. They sold the business in 1979.
Greg McDonagh, who lived in Manly then, started dabbling in a number of other enterprises. Greg’s old friend Bruce Wilson said he was one of the first people to bring windsurfers into Australia.
“He had all his friends down for a picnic at the northern edge of Narrabeen Lagoon to try one out,” Mr Wilson said.
“No one could control it and we ended up on the other side of the lake. Greg had to send a ute round to pick us up. ”
Greg bought and then sold Sydney Water Taxis. He had a business hiring out cherrypickers and invested and redeveloped commercial properties.
“No matter what was going on, good or bad, Greg always had a smile on his face,” Mr Wilson said.
“He had a lovely attitude to life. He was very approachable.”
Greg was a popular member of the Bold & Beautiful Swim Squad in Manly and regularly did the morning swim from the surf club to Fairy Bower.
When they were young, Greg and Denis were members of Freshwater surf club and did boxing as part of their training regimen.
“Greg was a good boxer,” Denis said. “One Friday night we were out at The Steyne in Manly — it was a meeting place for mates in the surf clubs.
“One of the blokes from Narrabeen saw Greg go into the toilet and he told his mates he was going to show how weak the blokes from Freshie were compared to Narrabeen.
“Anyway, he threw a punch at Greg and Greg knocked him out cold. He came out and all the boys said, ‘Where is he?’.
“We went in and found the bloke lying in the urinal.”
A farewell to Greg will be held at the Manly 16 Foot Skiff Club on Thursday at 2.30pm.