Who is Robert Conneeley?

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'llo-and Behold
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Who is Robert Conneeley?

Post by 'llo-and Behold » Sun Nov 30, 2014 11:20 pm

A board builder? Ship builder? Any knowledge in the brains trust?

I came across this board minus fin and am intrigued by the design and wonder what profile 'skeg' it might have been paired with...

Bugger. Photos too big. Will upload tomorrow...

Nick Carroll
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Re: Who is Robert Conneeley?

Post by Nick Carroll » Mon Dec 01, 2014 6:05 am

WHO IS ROBERT CONNEELEY

"Bonzer Bob" Conneeley is the first world junior champion (Manly 1964) and one of Australia's greatest ever surfers.

Conneeley grew up at Bondi where he holds mega legend status among the surfing locals whose roots date back further than 2007

He was part of the first great wave of baby boomer surf stars, taking national titles off both Midget Farrelly and Nat Young and developing hull bottom surfboard designs before eventually choosing the road less travelled and bailing from Scum Valley to roam the southern and western Australian coasts with his girl Di. He settled at Margaret River in the mid 1970s where he became a leading light of the growing surf culture in the area (much s Nat did around Byron etc).

Bonza Bob still lives in Margarets and has a little guest house just NW of town.

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Re: Who is Robert Conneeley?

Post by Beanpole » Mon Dec 01, 2014 6:48 pm

I had one of his hulls. Chines, concaves about 6'6" as I recall. Swapped it for an experimental Sam Egan shape. Good board. Better than the one I swapped it for. No Bondi Connection in those days.
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Re: Who is Robert Conneeley?

Post by Larry » Wed Dec 03, 2014 9:40 pm

Robert Conneeley does not hold 'mega legend status' amongst older surfers .. etc etc - That's just NC blowing off about a bloke and an age he knows nothing about.
Conneeley was a goose, he tried to surf fin up one day and ripped a gonad loose when it all went wrong, he oiled his hair and looked at girls. He was careful of his company. He wasn't a graceful surfer and had little poise on a wave, plus he couldn't go left - this was admitted in an interview once I forget where.
He was a good bloke though, and he did ok at big Bells.
Big deal.
We used to catch the same bus down to Bondi on the weekends, I used to pour his old man beer at the Diggers -

'Mega legend?

Turn it up.

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Davros
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Re: Who is Robert Conneeley?

Post by Davros » Thu Dec 04, 2014 4:00 pm

What did his old man drink Larry?

'llo-and Behold
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Re: Who is Robert Conneeley?

Post by 'llo-and Behold » Thu Dec 04, 2014 4:43 pm

Thanks for the balanced (many may say unbalanced) replies Gents (many may decry that, too).

Any more, without disparaging poor Robert himself too much?

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Trev
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Re: Who is Robert Conneeley?

Post by Trev » Thu Dec 04, 2014 4:46 pm

Davros wrote:What did his old man drink Larry?
Beer. :wink:
Beanpole
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Re: Who is Robert Conneeley?

Post by Larry » Thu Dec 04, 2014 5:10 pm

Beer is right, and what's with all this 'balanced' bullshit - what's this place turned into? You blokes would get a job in a hair salon you're so nice to each other.

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Trev
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Re: Who is Robert Conneeley?

Post by Trev » Thu Dec 04, 2014 5:13 pm

Larry wrote:Beer is right, and what's with all this 'balanced' bullshit - what's this place turned into? You blokes would get a job in a hair salon you're so nice to each other.
Perfect timing Larry.
Got a whole heap of guys (well, three) complaining about just the opposite ATM.
Beanpole
You aren’t the room Yuke You are just a wonky cafe table with a missing rubber pad on the end of one leg.

Skipper
I still don't buy the "official" narrative about 9/11. Oh sure, it happened, fcuk yeah. But who and why and how I'm, not convinced it was what we've been told.

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Re: Who is Robert Conneeley?

Post by Larry » Thu Dec 04, 2014 5:52 pm

It's always the goofy foot Trev, they have a birth attitude, howarya Ron, you must be 90

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foamy
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Re: Who is Robert Conneeley?

Post by foamy » Thu Dec 04, 2014 7:30 pm

He's a legend of surfing. 1964 World junior surfing champion, beating the real Nat Young, and an innovative board designer.
The fact that, if you knew him, he seemed a fairly ordinary bloke with ordinary foibles, well...natch. That is part of the charm of surfing.
He doesn't big note himself, happily describing his surfing since 1965 as a downhill slide. Doesn't change the fact, he's a legend. Living in Brisbane, I knew about him. Mainly his boards, which had some keen local enthusiasts.
From Bondi, I can't think of a bigger name. Had a lot more impact than Bluey Mayes.

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Re: Who is Robert Conneeley?

Post by Larry » Thu Dec 04, 2014 8:32 pm

This is where all this legend bullshit ends up, my legend is bigger than yours. Gimme a break foamy.. surfing is just surfing.

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steve shearer
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Re: Who is Robert Conneeley?

Post by steve shearer » Thu Dec 04, 2014 8:39 pm

Cheyne Horan?
I want Nightclub Dwight dead in his grave I want the nice-nice up in blazes

Larry
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Re: Who is Robert Conneeley?

Post by Larry » Thu Dec 04, 2014 8:43 pm

Every time Horan paddled out into mental Sunset he had company, whoever they were, he was the only one the legend makers were watching.

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Skipper
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Re: Who is Robert Conneeley?

Post by Skipper » Thu Dec 04, 2014 9:06 pm

So, in effect you're saying Horan IS a legend?

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foamy
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Re: Who is Robert Conneeley?

Post by foamy » Thu Dec 04, 2014 9:12 pm

Larry wrote:This is where all this legend bullshit ends up, my legend is bigger than yours. Gimme a break foamy.. surfing is just surfing.
I was casting no aspersions. Just thinking thru the question asked. Yeah, surfing is just surfing. Really, can you have any legends in a pointless activity? But then again, there are some people who write stories about it and think it has some meaning beyond playing in the water. Maybe that includes you.

I did think your comment
"We used to catch the same bus down to Bondi on the weekends, I used to pour his old man beer at the Diggers'"
was hardly relevant.
Like saying, Kelly Slater is not a legend because I used to catch the school bus with him and go to his dad's bait and tackle shop.
We are all ordinary, just that some do more in surfing than others.

Robert Conneeley, junior world champion and innovative board designer and an Australian Hall Surfing Hall of Fame Award winner. That is enough for me to confer Aussie surfing legend status. I guess I could be a harder marker, but it is just surfing.

Larry
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Re: Who is Robert Conneeley?

Post by Larry » Thu Dec 04, 2014 9:21 pm

Aussie Surfing Legend Status - What qualifies a man for that honour foamy, specifically, what are the qualifications, in your view, that are needed to qualify for such an honour?

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Re: Who is Robert Conneeley?

Post by Larry » Thu Dec 04, 2014 9:22 pm

Skipper, got your head on the right way mate, or does everything need a footnote with you?

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