- George Freeth
George Freeth (
November 8 ,1883 –April 7 ,1919 ) is often credited as being the "Father of ModernSurfing ". He is also thought to have been the firstlifeguard and the first modern surfer.There is a confusion of where he came from with the Americans claiming him as one of theirs and Ulster saying he's theirs! [cite news
author=
title=Ulster roots man who gave world surfing
date=2008-03-27
work=BBC News
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7316872.stm
accessdate=2008-08-08] According to the San Diego Reader, [ [http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2006/dec/14/90-years-curl/ San Diego Reader | 90 Years of Curl ] at www.sandiegoreader.com] Freeth was born in Oahu in 1883. His mother was part-Hawaiian. His father was Irish, but a British subject. Freeth died at the age of 35 as a result of the global flu pandemic in 1919.Lifeguard ContributionsFreeth is credited with developing the rescue paddleboard and the rescue can, both of which are still in use today by lifeguards the world over. [http://www.cmp.ucr.edu/exhibitions/ocean-view/essays/verge/default.html] Freeth later developed the first lifeguarding techniques, which were disseminated nationwide. For his efforts, he was honored with the Congressional Gold Medal, the nation's highest civilian honor for bravery.
Theft of BustOn August 07, 2008, it was reported that a bronze bust of Freeth was stolen from the Redondo Beach Pier where it was on display. Police have no leads but suspect that it is the latest victim of scrappers based on it's copper content. [http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-statue8-2008aug08,0,5701579.story]
External links
* [http://www.picklehead.com/ian/ian_txt_surfing.html picklehead.com]
* [http://www.surfline.com/surfaz/freeth_george.cfm surfline.com biography]
* [http://comment.independent.co.uk/columnists/miles_kington/article303235.ece Miles Kington of The Independent: The unheralded god who walked on water]
* [http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/opinion/~3/135874315/la-oe-moore21jul21,0,5976449.story "100 years of hanging ten"] - A tribute in the "Los Angeles Times "
* [http://www.inisfilms.com/behindthescenes/?cat=3 Wave Riders (working title) exploring Freeth’s life and legacy]References
*cite news
author=
title=Ulster roots man who gave world surfing
date=2008-03-27
work=BBC News
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7316872.stm
accessdate=2008-08-08,BBC News ,27 March 2008
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