Bob Aitken

DETAILS

Also Known AsBobby AitkenAdditional Information
Bob Aitken was born in Scotland in 1946, the youngest of five children (along with his twin brother). In 1951, the Aitken family emigrated to Australia on the New Australia, arriving in Sydney in March. They were met by Bobby’s father’s new employer and travelled directly to Jerrys Plains, west of Singleton, where Bobby’s father had secured employment at Appletree Farm. Only a couple of years later, the family lost everything when their house was destroyed by fire. They moved into Singleton where tragedy struck again and they lost everything a second time, this time in the devastating flood of 1955. This prompted a move to Brisbane, where the family lived first in Breakfast Creek and then Albion.

He first discovered the beach and surfing on family weekends to Rainbow Bay (Gold Coast) and Coolangatta. He first visited Noosa in 1961 and fell in love with the area and the great surf. He moved to Noosa in 1962 and has lived there ever since. He has had over 100 jobs including working at the Beach House Guesthouse, managing Tingirana Motel, the Woods Caravan Park and Munna Point Campground, shaping surfboards with Trevor Hewston, fishing with the Massouds, dredging Hays Inlet to create Noosa Sound, running the riding school at Hoffman’s Ranch, and driving the school bus. He has been involved in competitive surfing and boardriding clubs and is a devoted longboarder. For a number of years, he was involved with the Noosa Coastguard. Over a period of sixty years, Bobby has made friends with and met a wide range of local characters. He has been involved in youthful high jinks, suffered tragic events, and witnessed some unexplainable phenomena.

At nearly 80 years of age, he still surfs and can’t imagine living anywhere except Noosa or why you’d want to.

Photograph

Bob Aitken (standing blue shirt) talking to Lynne and Brian Cooney seated, Noosa's Surfing History: In Conversation, The J, Noosa Heads, 11 March 2025

Bob Aitken and Lois Albert, Noosa's Surfing History: In Conversation, The J, Noosa Heads, 11 March 2025

Bob Aitken, Lois Albert (r-l) and attendees, Noosa's Surfing History: In Conversation, The J, Noosa Heads, 11 March 2025

Bobby Aitken

Gaye Poole, Bob Aitken & Stuart Scott, Launch of Emma Freeman's 'Hastings Street', Noosa Regional Gallery, Tewantin, ca April 2005

Lois Albert, Bob Aitken (r-l front seating) and attendees, Noosa's Surfing History: In Conversation, The J, Noosa Heads, 11 March 2025

Oral History

Bob Aitken Oral History

Ken Brown Oral History

Oral History Transcript

Bob Aitken Oral History - Transcript

Audio

Bob Aitken Oral History - Audio

Video

Bob Aitken Oral History - Video

IDENTIFIERS

Subject (Keywords)Surfing

CONNECTIONS

PlaceNoosa River Caravan ParkOrganisation & Club Coast Guard Noosa QF5ProjectNoosa History of Surfing

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Bob Aitken