There's a surf spot at Broken Head called Dereks. I guess most of the crew that hit it every morning wouldn't have a clue how come its called that. Well here's the rub.
The classy goofy in this photo is none other than the Derek. Mr. Derek Beckner, son of Bo Beckner, both of them very cool California surfers.
Derek lobbed here from the States in the mid-sixties, chose Byron as his base, and grooved on the lack of crowds and the absolute abundance of waves, with warm water! Concurently, I was at Hayden's at Alexandra Heads, surfing Noosa every time a ripple appeared. We often caught up, and we became great friends.
I lived with him in North Counties San Diego in 1970. He returned to Byron in '72 and started the best eatery in town, the famous Ribcage, making superb teriyaki burgers, fat tuna/mayo sandwiches, and great coffee. He bought a house at Broken, and surfed those left beach breaks so well the locals just had to name it Dereks!
This is a great photo of Derek at Signals, by the first real Byron Bay surf junkie, Max Pendergast.
Photo courtesy Max Pendergast
