History

Back in 1964/65 we were all hanging out on the Sunshine Coast especially around Alexandra Headlands and surfing anywhere from Noosa to Sydney. By all I mean myself, Bob McTavish, Kevin Platt, Russell Hughes, Algy Grud, John Mantle, Bob Cooper, Hayden, George Greenough, Wayne Parkes, Darrell Dell and a whole bunch of others. The area also had a constant stream of good surfers passing through. My parents owned a hotel at Caloundra (home of Moffat Beach, great pointbreak) and I did a little work there but really wanted to be in the surfboard business. It was all very young then and the rest of the boys were all working at Hayden's. They made good boards, didn't earn much money but had a good lifestyle and plenty of time to surf. It was during this period that I started to get a feel for the surfboard industry and learn how the boards were being built.

I think it was late in '65 that there was a big blowup at the Hayden factory and the boys were all either fired or quit. Right about that time I'd been talking to my parents about financing a surfboard factory for me. I was just 17. They didn't like the idea of me being a dedicated surfer but I guess they must have figured it was a good opportunity for me so they agreed to fund it. I'd already discussed my plans with Bob McTavish, Kevin Platt, Russell Hughes and Algy Grud. They were all real keen and agreed to come and work for me. We needed a name and settled on "Cord" and so a surfboard label was born. I found a suitable building in Caloundra and we fitted it out and began production.