HISTORY

Evan Penglis earned the title The Godfather because he was the first Aussie to dominate the sport in Oz as well as make an impact in Hawaii in the early 80′s. Victorian champion Josh Morgan remembers….photo by Peter Simons.

“I had this picture on my wall since the 80s. Still on my wall all those years. First time I meet him was at state team challenge at Coffs Harbor in 80s I was about 14. Qld vs Nsw vs Vic. Me and my mate stole some beers off older guys and hid in bush. We were trying to open the beer bottle caps so we could get pissed, Evan found us and offered to open beers for us, and we talked about his time at pipeline. We were amazed to listen to someone who had rode massive waves. He was tall and larger than life. We were star stuck” Josh Morgan.