Well , Peter Bradford contacted me today , 3 years after I started hassling him for photos of the GFI ramp /Moomba demos etc.
He has delved deep under the house to uncover these long lost images from circa 1978-1980. The shots cover the first GFI 1/4 pipe, maybe 7 1/2 feet high, the second version - an 8 foot wide, 9 foot high brown pantser with maybe 18 inches of vert, the Coles demo ramp from Moomba 1980 - a terrifying U -pipe with 4 feet of removable flat vert, as well as Pete Crae’s excellent back yard half pipe.
These pics are only about half of what he’s sent me and he reckons there’s more to come…I love it when this stuff comes to light.
Before the net, stuff like this would just mold away in someone’s shed but now we can all check out the pics, hopefully see some photos of our mates, maybe even one or two of ourselves to stroke the retrospective ego. More than that, they’re just time capsules of the 70’s and 80’s and the wacky ramp designs of the times- 4 foot of vert, no flat, 8 bloody feet wide ???
Anyway, check out the pics, many more to come once I’ve Photoshopped them into shape
Take a look at this bastard- skinny, tall , no flat and a little too flexy for comfort… road trailerable demo half pipe
Chris Hatten well up on the extra vert section. This 4ft x 8ft section could be dragged off by crane and coping /ledge dropped on in place- very NASA for 1980…
An unusual angle of Johnee bustin out a hand plant- can’t think of anyone else that could do this at the time…the trick was only invented like 18 months earlier
Johnee up on the vert section
And a wheeler shot from below…it really was a whole heap of vert
Wedge rock n rolling during one of the packed Moomba demos in the gardens near Flinders street on the Yarra
Andrew Tennant - power house, blunt intrument and well ahead of the game in 1978/9. He’d shake the ramp so it skittered a few inches across the footpath every time he hit it
Andy again, slashing a grinder on wide Indys
Brad Smith was very smooth, a mellow softly spoken guy who had a great surf/skate style
Karl getting all methody on his tweaked backside airs. Not the trademark Eastaway vest and hat…always a part of his style
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Peter Bradford himself going frontside on the first GFI ramp. Note the home made safety gear and another Alav style hat- late 70’s rock on…
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Peter Crae’s half pipe was ahead of it’s time- really rideable, 10 feet wide with flat bottom, thick, smooth ply. Excellent local ramp, and his mum always fed us too. She even seemed to like us hanging there, which was kinda weird…smelly, noisy bastards we were