Never before or since has there been such a variety of cutting edge surfboard design in one place. Ray Richards- the great uncle of the modern era of Australia surfing??! Shutting the shop will let him concentrate on making surfboards in a room tucked away in an old weatherboard building behind the shop. USA, Bob Brown Surfboards- Twin fin (Bob Brown). Ray Richards was the father of multi-World Champion, Mark Richards. 1964 Probably made by a Sydney manufacturer. AU, Lightning Bolt- Twinfin (Greg Clough), AU, Local Knowledge- Single fin (Neal Purchase). To the surfing world Mark Richards needs no introduction as his name signifies history. NZ, Hot Buttered- Drifta (Terry Fitzgerald). (Bennett surfboards). US, Brothers Neilsen- Single fin pin tail (Gunther Rohn). How old were you when you first heard about Mark Richards? MR's twin + stabiliser template. I was 15 when my older brother said he was going to Newcastle to look for a new car. He can have quite a dry sense of humor. AU, Steve O'Donnell - Young Einstein thruster (Steve O'Donnell). I was influenced by MR and Cheyne Horan because of their loose & radical styles, their flamboyant board sprays and bright wetsuits. My favorite memories of being their rep was when Val would make me a cup of tea and feed me biscuits, or when I’d be in the middle of a discussion/ debate between MR and Mick over some matter relating to surfing or surfboards. I was influenced by MR and Cheyne Horan because of their loose & radical styles, their flamboyant board sprays and bright wetsuits. James: I was 15 when my older brother said he was going to Newcastle to look for a new car. Look here for interesting news and stories from Mark Richards Surfboards Apparel and our friends. AU, Local Knowledge- Twin Fin Steve Godard).AU, Mark Richards- Single fin stinger (Mark Richards). Thanks for visiting Mark Richards Surfboards. Wave Crest Hawaii- Twin Fin (Doug Bell). Surfline. "I'm going to miss it.". Jul 8th, 2018. AU, Ken Bradshaw- 3 fin gun (Ken Bradshaw). This says a lot about MR’s integrity and his general respect toward people, it also says a lot about his character and upbringing. I was cracking up at him, and he looked at me with a dead pan look on his face, and said “what’s so funny?" On Saturday afternoon, surfing legend Mark Richards will shut the doors on the family shop at 755 Hunter Street - a surfing institution that has been selling boards since 1958. Ray Richards Surf Shop 755 Hunter Street, Newcastle. SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER FOR ALL THE LASTEST DEALS. We went to the Ray Richards Surf Shop that day, and Mark was actually working in the shop. Records that Mark's wife Jenny found this week showed the first board Ray bought came from Barry Bennett's at Brookvale, in 1958, at a cost of 26 pounds. We did that for almost 2 years, then I got a job with Quiksilver, and that really got me started in the surf industry. The Newcastle surfer and shaper Mark Richards won four consecutive world titles from 1979 through to 1982 whereupon he retired at the then ancient age of twenty-four. The fit is sick and the cotton is super comfy ! US, Wave Riding Vehicles- Twin fin pin tail (Bill Frierson). What is your favourite piece in the range so far ? Associated With US, Larry Bertleman- Twin fin. Do you have any stories to tell us about Mark ? Mark is the ''eternal grommet'' with as much stoke for surfing and shaping today, as he had 30+ years ago. His boards, new and old are works of art, and now his tees and apparel are too. The second transition period was from the late 70's to the early 80's when surf boards went from 1 fin to 3 fins and beyond. For the next range, I’m losing it on the Rainbow Shield tee, and the Free Ride poncho which both arrive mid July. AU, McCoy- No nose single fin (Greg Pautch). We know that fewer locations would be easier to manage and very likely more profitable by lowering our overhead. “He would set up the line, and our eyes would constantly be looking out at the surf,” Mark said. I also started hanging around Jeff’s Surf Shop in Port Macquarie a bit back then, Peter Hudson worked there and he used to shove me into the garbage bin head first. Recommended for all boards including fish, funboard and twin fins. When I was a grommet, some of the best surfers in our local area rode MR boards. Mark with Ben Aipa Kong stinger that still hangs in the Hunter st store. The innovation period of surfboard design has also been described as 'T2'. The younger Richards was in the surf as a toddler, soon graduated to a surf mat, and began riding a surfboard at age six. He took me out on the road with him, and I liked the travel aspect of being a sales rep. in 1988 I started a surf products sales agency with one of my best friends, Martin Crisp. I was about 12 yrs old and saw Mark on the news being interviewed after winning a professional contest in Sydney. To a certain extent the thruster nearly ended my career as a surfboard manufacturer. Meaning the second transition period, the first transition period of surfboard design was from late 60's to the early 70's, or short board revolution, where boards went from long boards (10') to short boards (6'), an exciting time for the likes of Dick Brewer and Bob Mc Tavish, who were sawing a foot off their boards at a time. While one door shuts, another is opening a block away from Richards on the corner of National Park and King streets. US, McCoy- Single fin for Pam Buridge (Geoff McCoy). 30 talking about this. Now a handful of big companies dominate the industry and small independent surf shops are finding it harder to survive. "I started here in the 1970s when I was still at school," Adam said. Mark Richards Surfboards. AU, Mark Richards- Twin fin (R. Prodanovich). Awesome Inc. theme. JAMES: In this day & age, where respectful behavior is less and less common, I think its never been more important for our sporting icons to be setting examples of good & respectful behavior and good sportsmanship. AU, Nat Young- Single fin pin tail (Nat Young), Nat Young- Single fin pin tail (Nat Young). US, Larry Bertleman- Twin fin (Larry Bertleman). The shop stocked full of early 80's gold. What was your general impression of him. Even though I was star struck, he struck me as a normal guy getting on with his job and serving customers in their family store. Euroglass was founded in 1990 to supply Europe with premium surfboards and has reinforced this service for the last 25 years. I think a lot of people are unknowingly influenced by how their idols and peers behave ! 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