South Australia’s Board Builders
Greg Frost Surfboards
ABOVE Artist impression of the Spiritfilled shop Port Noarlunga
Greg Frost Surfboards
Greg Frost was a hot young surfer and regular competitor in the surfing comps from the mid 1960s to Mid 1970s. Through his success in competition in the mid 1960s he received sponsorship with Geoffs Surf shop and later on John Arnold surfboards. His first experience of the surfboard industry was at Geoffs Surf shop doing surfboard repairs.
Greg Frost winning the South Australian Junior State Title 1966
Article about Greg Frost in Geoffs Surf shop magazine 1967
A young Greg Frost in the boiler suit. Middleton 1963-64
During the late 60s Gregs father had a surf shop in Port Noarlunga near where the Art centre Building is. The shop was an agent for Mcdonaugh surfboards and catered for most surfers needs. It was the first surf shop established in the Mid Coast area. In 1968 Greg spent some time surfing at Crescent heads where he also honed his shaping skills by stripping the glass of a few old boards and reshaping them into newish boards.
Around early 1970 Greg worked briefly for John Arnolds and also Don Burford gaining more shaping experience. During the summer of 1971-72 he teamed up with Greg “Noddy” Webb and Mick Higgins to start Crazy Horse Surfboards. Greg Webbs Father had purchased the Norwood Bicycle Clubroom on Commercial road South Port Noarlunga but a misunderstanding over some objects still belonging to the original owners, meant it never really got started, and the guys went there own separate ways.
Greg Webb used this as a model logo when he started Greg Webb Surfboards
After the Crazy Horse period Greg found an old farmhouse and shearing shed to rent between Noarlunga and Hackam and started Greg Frost Surfboards.
The Shearing Shed Old noarlunga
After building and selling his boards directly from the Noarlunga, Hackam factory, in late 1973 Greg and wife Bev Opened a small surf shop in Saltfleet Street Port Noarlunga. Selling Gregs Boards along with Surfwear and other surfing gear.
In 1975 Greg moved just up the road to the bigger building on the corner of Saltfleet street and Gawler street opposite the Port Noarlunga Hotel. The surf shop was named Spiritfilled Surf Shop with Greg still building his boards (now Spiritfilled Surfboards) at the old Noarlunga farmhouse
Greg Frost styling at Seaford winning a round of the Open State Titles 1975
The Spiritfilled shop ran for around 8 years when Greg sold the business to Mark Bray who renamed it Ocean Graphics in the early 80s. Greg briefly built surfboards for his brother Colins shop at Pt Noarlunga South, The Surf Co. He then moved to Kiama on the South coast of N.S.W where he worked for a few years for Byrne Surfboards of Wollongong predominately glassing the boards. He glassed boards for the likes of Tom Carrol and Critta Byrne. After Byrne he shaped for 4 years from his home overlooking the Boneyard Surf break at Kiama.
During the late 90s Greg returned to S.A. where at Seaford he started shaping for a short time from his home on the Esplanade at Seaford. Then he worked shaping boards at Cutloose Surfboards at Lonsdale aproximately 6 years, before moving to Port Macquarie building surfboards and establishing a surf shop at SFD Designs. Which he ran for roughly 10 years before retiring from the trade.
Port Macquarie SFD Designs