Royal Surf Carnival revisited

The Royal Surf Carnival, held at Bondi Beach in February 1954 and attended by Queen Elizabeth II and Price Philip, was recently revisited by a British television production crew.

Lion Television was commissioned by Channel 4 in the UK to produce a four-part documentary series on the Queen’s 1953-54 Coronation Tour, which included the Royal Surf Carnival. The series will be shown during the next English summer between June and September.

Veteran Bondi lifesavers Jim Gillies, Les Hawkins and Barry Murray, who competed in the surf carnival, were among those interviewed for the documentary.

The film crew spent Sunday March 1 filming at Bondi Beach, also interviewing present-day lifesavers and shooting the activities a surf lifesaving patrol undertake when they voluntarily patrol the beach on weekends and public holidays.

North Bondi member and former champion squash player Ken Hiscoe and many of his fellow club members – including Alan Johnson, Gary Winram, Phil Coles and John Regan, along with former champion Maroubra beach sprinter Pat Manning – also competed in the Royal Surf Carnival.

Hiscoe won the junior (under-18) surf race on the day, Johnson was captain of the Australian team which competed in surf events against South Africa and New Zealand, and six-time Olympian Coles competed in the single and double ski races. Regan’s role was to open the door of the Queen’s car on its arrival at Bondi.

A monument stands today on the Bondi promenade just south of the lifeguard tower and at the point where the Queen and Prince Philip viewed the carnival.

The roadway in the Bondi Beach parking area adjacent to the beach, and formerly Marine Drive, was renamed Queen Elizabeth Drive after the Queen’s 1954 visit to Bondi.