Maroubra surfing legends Peter Kirkwood AM, Susan Wood-Moore, David Parkes to be inducted in the Surfing Walk of Fame

Three local surfing legends in Maroubra are being honoured as the latest inductees into the Australian Surfing Walk of Fame.

The time spent at Maroubra Beach hitting the waves either swimming or surfing will always hold a special place in the hearts of three local legends.

Lifelong surf life saving member Peter (Cuz) Kirkwood AM, one of Australia’s first certified female surf coaches Susan Wood-Moore and professional kneeboard champion David Parkes will be inducted into the Australian Surfing Walk of Fame.

The trio are being recognised for their huge contributions to Australia’s surfing community, with all three spending decades ensuring Aussies are safe both surfing and in the water.

Surf legends Susan Wood-Moore and Peter (Cuz) Kirkwood AM on the walk of fame at Maroubra Beach. Picture: Jane Dempster/Daily Telegraph.

Their achievements will now be set in stone along the shoreline at the popular beach.

Mr Kirkwood has spent the past 60 years coaching and mentoring younger surf life savers, something he accidentally fell into.

“I started board paddling and then all of a sudden I had young people turning up, so I had to be the coach,” he told the Southern Courier.

“There was no one doing any coaching. So I fell into it, rather than apply for it. I really enjoyed working with people and seeing them improve. And surfing is a very addictive sport, I love surfing.”

While Mr Kirkwood has earned over 100 medals at world, state and Australian titles between 1972 and 2024, he said the real prize was the friendships forged on the waves.

“When you think back ‘what have I got out of this?’ the main thing you get is lots and lots of friends,” he said.

Peter Kirkwood in the 1970s. Picture: Supplied

“Medals can be chucked into the drawer, but the friends I made at Maroubra and all around the world are priceless. Because you compete against them and make a lot of good friends.”

Beyond establishing Australia’s first surfing school, Safe Surf Schools in 1987, Mrs Wood-Moore also shook up the male-dominated surfing environment at Maroubra.

“It was the fact that the boys were having a good time and so I couldn’t see why the girls can’t,” she said.

“But girls weren’t accepted at all back then. Putting one foot in the water, you were more or less told where to go. It was hard, very hard really. I learnt a lot of swear words from the guys in the water.

Surf legends Susan Wood-Moore and Peter (Cuz) Kirkwood AM on the Australian Surfing Walk of Fame. Picture: Jane Dempster/Daily Telegraph.

“There was nobody to say ‘don’t do that, do this’ or ‘it’s a bit gnarly out there today, so don’t go out’. You had to paddle out the back and figure it out.”

Years after she began coaching, the culture began to change at Maroubra, something Mrs Wood-Moore is proud to have a hand in.

“Maroubra changed from ‘hey, girls in the water! What are these chicks doing in the water?’ to ‘oh okay’. It changed from this bullying kind of bash you because I’m a local to just saying ‘just don’t drop in. Use the rules’,” she said.

Susan has taught young surfers from various ages and backgrounds how to be safe in the water. Picture: Supplied

“It changed a lot actually and they did welcome mums and aunties and young girls and the whole lot.”

Maroubra Beach is where Mr Parkes began what turned into decades of surfing and there’s no plans to stop anytime soon.

“I will keep on surfing and chasing waves and shaping boards,” he said.

“Travelling throughout Australia is a big part of the future and spending time with family friends in different parts of the country is planned.

David Parkes is a surfer, and international renowned kneeboard rider and a surfboard manufacturer. Picture: Supplied

“(I) have lifelong friends that I surfed with as a kid in the 70s and still surf with today. It (Maroubra) really was and is a fantastic place to be a part of. The camaraderie still exists even though I do not live locally anymore. I really believe that surfing at Maroubra has helped me untold in my surfing career.”

All three will be inducted into the Australian Surfing Walk of Fame, a ceremony that is part of the Randwick City Council’s Beach Breaks community event in Maroubra on Sunday July 21.