The Stories That Shaped Cronulla

From the arrival of the USA Lifeguards in 1956 to the birth of boardriding culture and decades of surf photography, discover the people and stories that helped shape Cronulla's surfing identity.

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The birth of boardriding culture, the photographers who captured it and the local legends who helped shape Cronulla's surfing story.

Cronulla's surfing history is more than waves, beaches and surfboards. It is a story of changing beach culture, new ideas, friendship, competition and the people who helped shape the community we know today.

In this special episode of the Cronulla RSL Podcast, we hear from three people who have lived, documented and helped preserve that history: Joe Glendenning, Tim Vanderlaan and John Veage.

From the arrival of the USA Lifeguards in 1956 and the influence of American surfing culture, to the emergence of boardriding clubs and the evolution of surf photography, their stories provide a unique insight into the people and moments that helped define Cronulla's surfing identity.

The podcast is accompanied by a collection of photographs and memorabilia generously shared by Joe, Tim and John, giving visitors of Cronulla RSL the opportunity to see some of this history for themselves.

Listen to the podcast and discover the stories behind the display.

Joe Glendenning

The Birth of Boardriding Culture, Southside Malibu & Surf Advocacy

Joe takes us back to a pivotal moment in Cronulla's surfing history: the visit of the USA Lifeguards in 1956 and the arrival of a new influence on Australian beach culture.

At a time when surf lifesaving was a highly disciplined and structured part of life on the beach, the Americans brought different approaches to surfing, style and board riding. Their visit, and the influence of surfers such as Greg Noll, helped inspire a new generation and contributed to the emergence of the boardriding culture that would become such an important part of Cronulla's identity.

Joe explores how this culture evolved, from the early days of boardriding through to the establishment of Southside Malibu in 1984, and the communities that have grown around surfing over the decades.

He also discusses the role of the Surfrider Foundation and the importance of surfers and surfing organisations not only celebrating the sport, but protecting the coastline and environment that brings the community together.

For Joe, preserving this history is about more than looking back. It is about ensuring the stories, people and moments that shaped Cronulla's surfing culture are remembered and shared with future generations.

Monet Goode

For more than four decades, John Veage has documented the people and places of the Sutherland Shire.

During his 35 years with The Leader, John photographed everything from sport and surfing to community events, local characters and the everyday moments that make the Shire unique.

A founding life member of Cronulla Boardriders and Surfing Sutherland Shire, John has been deeply connected to the local surfing community throughout his career.

His photographs have created a remarkable visual record of Cronulla and the wider Sutherland Shire, preserving moments that might otherwise only exist in the memories of those who experienced them.

In 2024, John's contribution to the community was recognised when he was named Sutherland Shire Citizen of the Year.

Today, John continues to photograph surf and community stories and has a vision for an interactive surf museum at Cronulla RSL, creating a place where future generations can explore the people, photographs, boards and stories that have shaped Cronulla's surfing heritage.

His story is a reminder that local history isn't only found in books. Sometimes, it's captured one frame at a time.

The Shire's Storyteller

Tim Vanderlaan

For Tim Vanderlaan, Cronulla's surfing history has been captured one photograph at a time.

A long-time Cronulla local, surfer and photographer, Tim has documented the waves, surfers and characters of the Shire since the 1970s.

Long before digital cameras, Tim was experimenting with 35mm photography, capturing the changing nature of Cronulla's surf culture and the people who made it what it was.

His photographs provide more than a record of surfing. They capture friendships, personalities, competitions, surfboards, waves and the places that have become part of Cronulla's identity.

Tim remains an active member of the local surfing community and continues to compete with Southside Malibu, connecting generations of Cronulla surfers.

His photographs remind us that local history is often found in the moments captured by people who were simply there, camera in hand.

Surf Through the Lens

The Birth of Cronulla's Boardriding Culture

Crowd at Cronulla to watch the americans surf malibu boards 1956. Image supplied.

USA lifeguard team at the sydney airport 1956. Image supplied.

Surfrider Foundation protecting the coastline that brings the community together

Greg Noll at Pipeline. Image supplied.

USA Malibu boards at the Cronulla Lifesaving building 1956. Image supplied.

Southside Malibu Club's 40+ years of longboard surfing

In 1956, a team of USA Lifeguards visited Cronulla, bringing with them a different approach to surfing, surfboards and beach culture. Their visit became an important moment in the evolution of Cronulla's surfing community and the emergence of a new boardriding culture.
Among those who made an impression was legendary American surfer Greg Noll, whose style, individuality and approach to surfing helped inspire a new generation of Australian surfers. At a time when surf lifesaving was a highly disciplined and structured part of Australian beach culture, these new influences helped introduce a different spirit to the beach.
For young Cronulla surfers, the board became more than a piece of equipment. It became part of a new culture centred around surfing, individuality, friendship and a shared connection to the ocean.
As this culture developed, boardriding clubs emerged as an important part of the local surfing community, providing a place for surfers to compete, build friendships and share their passion for the waves.
Joe Glendenning shares the story of this evolution, from the pivotal visit of the USA Lifeguards and the influence of Greg Noll, through to the emergence of Cronulla's boardriding culture and the clubs that continue to shape it today.

YouTube - Gregg Noll Surf Movies
Article | The Leader - John Veage
Established in 1984, Southside Malibu became an important part of Cronulla's boardriding culture, bringing together surfers who shared a passion for traditional malibu surfing, competition and the ocean.
Over the decades, the club has helped create friendships and connections across generations, while continuing to celebrate the history and traditions of boardriding in Cronulla.
For Joe, Southside Malibu is part of the continuing story of Cronulla's surfing community. What began as a new generation embracing a different style of surfing has grown into a community with its own history, characters and traditions.
Today, Southside Malibu continues to be an active part of Cronulla's surf culture, connecting the surfers of today with the generations who came before them.
southsidemalibuclub.com/

Article | The Leader - John Veage
Surfing has always depended on a healthy coastline, and protecting the ocean and beaches is an important part of the surfing community's story.
Joe also discusses the role of the Surfrider Foundation, an organisation dedicated to protecting the world's oceans, waves and beaches through community action, advocacy and environmental initiatives.
For surfers, the coastline is more than a place to ride waves. It is a place where friendships are formed, communities come together and generations create memories.
The connection between surfing and environmental protection has become an important part of the culture that has developed around Cronulla's beaches. Organisations such as Surfrider help give the surfing community a voice in protecting the places that are at the heart of its identity.
www.surfrider.org.au/cronulla/

Article | The Leader - John Veage

The Shire's Storyteller

John Veage with his collection of surfboards, reflecting a lifetime connected to Cronulla's surfing culture.

Surfing Cronulla at dusk. A moment on the waves with the changing Cronulla coastline providing the backdrop.

Young John Veage, during the early days of Cronulla's boardriding culture

John with his boards, capturing the surfing culture that would become a lifelong passion.

For more than 35 years, John worked as a photographer for The Leader, documenting the people, events and stories of the Sutherland Shire. His archive provides a remarkable visual record of local life, from major community events and sporting achievements to the everyday moments that make the Shire unique.

Article | Sutherland Shire Citizen of the Year - Murray Trembath
For more than a decade, John's weekly surf report became a familiar part of life for surfers across the Sutherland Shire. Published each Wednesday in The Leader, his reports combined his photography, local knowledge and love of surfing to capture what was happening along Cronulla's coastline.
From surf conditions and the day's waves to local surfers, competitions and characters, the reports provided a regular snapshot of the Shire's surfing community. For many local surfers, John's Wednesday report became part of the weekly routine.
It also became an important record of Cronulla's surfing culture, documenting not only the waves but the people and places that make the coastline so significant to the community.
Article | Surf Report with John Veage – The Leader
John is a founding Life Member of Cronulla Boardriders and has been closely connected with the club and its surfing community for decades. His involvement gave him a unique perspective, allowing him to experience the local surf scene from within while also documenting it through his photography.
As both a surfer and photographer, John has been able to capture the people, characters, competitions and changing culture of Cronulla's surfing community from a perspective that few others have had.
His connection to Cronulla Boardriders and Surfing Sutherland Shire has also made him an important part of the story he has spent decades documenting, helping preserve the history of local surfing for future generations.

surfingsutherlandshire.org.au
cronullasharksboardriders.com.au
cronullasurfmuseum.com.au/john-veage/
John's photography has captured generations of surfers, waves, competitions and local characters. His photographs provide a window into how Cronulla's surfing culture has evolved, preserving moments that might otherwise only survive in the memories of those who were there.
John's work extends well beyond surfing. Over his career, he has photographed the people and places that make the Sutherland Shire what it is, creating a remarkable visual record of the community.
His contribution to the Shire was recognised in 2024 when he was named Sutherland Shire Citizen of the Year, acknowledging his decades of work documenting and contributing to the local community.
His ability to tell a story through a single image has made his work an important part of the Shire's visual history.

Article | The Leader - Murray Trembath
John's work has also played an important role in preserving Cronulla's surfing history. His photographs, stories and knowledge have become part of the collections and displays that help document the evolution of surfing in the area.
For decades, John worked with film and photographic negatives, carefully building an archive of images that captured the people, places, waves and moments that shaped Cronulla's surfing community. These negatives represent more than individual photographs. Together, they form a visual record of the Shire's surfing history across generations.
His work is represented through the Cronulla Surf Museum, while the Surf Gallery at Cronulla Library provides another space where the history and culture of surfing in Cronulla can be explored and shared with the community.
His involvement in exhibitions such as Southern Swell has also helped bring together photographs, surfboards, memorabilia and stories to celebrate the history of surfing across southern Sydney.
Today, John's photographic archive, including his collection of negatives, provides an opportunity to preserve these stories for future generations and ensure that the people and moments captured through his lens are not lost.
cronullasurfmuseum.com.au
libraries.sutherlandshire.nsw.gov.au hazelhurst.sutherlandshire.nsw.gov.au/exhibitions/past-exhibitions/hazelhurst-gallery/2019/southern-swell
John's photographs have helped generations of Shire residents see their community reflected back at them. From the waves of Cronulla to the people who make the place what it is, his work has preserved moments that might otherwise have been lost.

Tim Vanderlaan

John Veage with his collection of surfboards, reflecting a lifetime connected to Cronulla's surfing culture.

Surfing Cronulla at dusk. A moment on the waves with the changing Cronulla coastline providing the backdrop.

Young John Veage, during the early days of Cronulla's boardriding culture.

John with his boards, capturing the surfing culture that would become a lifelong passion.

Tim Vanderlaan is a long-time Cronulla local, surfer and photographer whose work has captured the waves, characters and culture of Cronulla for generations.
His story follows the evolution of surfing and photography side by side, from growing up around early foam and Coolite surfboards to experimenting with mechanical cameras, film and his own water housings. His photographs provide a unique visual record of Cronulla's surfing community and the places that have shaped it.
Tim reflects on moving to Cronulla and growing up surrounded by surfing. He experienced the changing world of boardriding firsthand, from foam and Coolite surfboards through to fibreglass boards and new approaches to riding waves.
Photography developed alongside his love of surfing. After photographing surfing and sand skiing, Tim eventually chose photography over sport, leading to opportunities including working with Contiki and beginning a lifelong career behind the camera.
Before digital cameras, photographing surfing meant working with mechanical cameras, film and a lot of patience.
Tim's work at Jackson gave him experience with mould making and fibreglass modelling, skills he put to use creating his own watertight camera housings. This allowed him to take his camera into the water and capture surfing from a perspective that was rarely seen from the beach.
His photographs of Cronulla Point and Shark Island, shot from the water, capture the waves and surfers from right inside the action.
Tim experimented with Pentax cameras and fisheye lenses, developing his own approach to capturing the movement and energy of surfing.
His collection now forms part of the Cronulla Surf Museum, while photographs from his archive are also displayed throughout Cronulla RSL. Together, these images provide a visual record of the surfers, waves and characters that have shaped Cronulla's surfing culture.
https://cronullasurfmuseum.com.au/tag/tim-vanderlaan/
https://www.cronullarslcommunity.com.au/news/sunroomphotos
Photography may have become Tim's career, but surfing has remained a lifelong passion.
His continuing involvement with Southside Malibu connects him with the boardriding culture that has been such an important part of Cronulla's history. Still competing in club events, Tim remains part of the community he has spent decades documenting.
His story connects generations of Cronulla surfers, showing how the equipment, photography and culture have evolved while the connection to the ocean remains.

Hear Their Stories.

Three voices. Generations of memories. One Cronulla story.

The photographs and memorabilia tell one part of the story. In this special episode of the Cronulla RSL Podcast, Joe, Tim and John bring those memories to life in their own words.

Hear accounts of the 1956 USA Lifeguards visit, the emergence of boardriding culture, the evolution of surf photography and the people who have helped preserve Cronulla's unique surfing heritage.

Listen to the episode and discover the stories behind the collection.

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