Smorgasboarder_16_March-2013
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You might not instantly<br />
recognise the name, but<br />
even if you only discovered<br />
surfing yesterday, you will<br />
most definitely be familiar<br />
with something Shane<br />
Egan’s artistic hand has<br />
touched. A creator in art<br />
and surfboard design,<br />
Shane’s airbrush work<br />
of the 70’s is the stuff of<br />
legend - not to mention his<br />
involvement in either the<br />
design or print of almost<br />
every iconic surfboard<br />
decal of the era. Now a<br />
resident of Tonga, he fills<br />
us in on his incredible<br />
journey through Australia<br />
and New Zealand through<br />
one of the most inspiring<br />
and experimental decades<br />
of surfing history.<br />
WORDS: MARK CHAPMAN<br />
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF SHANE EGAN<br />
“Being able to pack up my<br />
Airbrush and pencils enabled me<br />
a nomadic, surfing, lifestyle and<br />
gave me the honour and pleasure<br />
of working with some of the<br />
great shapers and characters of<br />
that era”.<br />
Born in 1952, Shane Egan<br />
grew up around Narrabeen<br />
and Warriewood on Sydney’s<br />
Northern Beaches, but after<br />
leaving school developed a bit<br />
of wanderlust and set off to<br />
explore…<br />
“It was the ‘Morning of the<br />
Earth’ years, and the North Coast<br />
and beyond beckoned. After<br />
a few trips south and north I<br />
settled for the warmer climes<br />
of Coolangatta - a great time to<br />
be there in the early 70’s. Then,<br />
as the Gold Coast got busier, I<br />
began frequenting New Zealand.<br />
My brother Dale and I had been<br />
trying to save some dollars to get<br />
over there and ended up winning<br />
a couple of return tickets in a<br />
shopping mall raffle! (laughs).<br />
This began an annual pilgrimage<br />
for Shane and his wife-to-be<br />
Chrissie Charlton (daughter of<br />
Kirra legend Johnny Charlton)<br />
and me. They planned to spend<br />
summers in NZ and winters<br />
on the Gold Coast – a pretty<br />
perfect arrangement by anyone’s<br />
standards. New Zealand,<br />
however, ended up offering<br />
Shane a lucrative employment<br />
prospect, which saw him<br />
spending a little bit more time<br />
there than originally foreseen.<br />
“We rocked up to Whangamata<br />
at the end of our second trip,<br />
where Kingsley “Knackers”<br />
Kernovske had leased Bob<br />
Davie’s board factory and began<br />
Natural Balance Surfboards,” he<br />
explains.<br />
“He wacked a wad of cash down<br />
on the shop counter and said<br />
’Stay’.”<br />
Shane says New Zealand was<br />
still pretty much a fledgling surf<br />
community then - great people<br />
and an absolutely beautiful<br />
country with quality, empty<br />
waves all over the shop. He<br />
found himself exploring his<br />
creativity in a big way including<br />
sticker design, airbrushing<br />
boards, paintings and large<br />
murals, but also got into refined<br />
board design.<br />
GEAR: INTERVIEW<br />
MAR/APR <strong>2013</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 123
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