Surfing became an increasingly popular sport in Australia during the 1960s. The first surf movie was screened in Australia, shown in Sydney in 1960 and in 1962 Midget Farrelly became the first Australian to win a world surfing championship. David Beal’s photograph, Surf riders, Dee Why, New South Wales, was photographed the year of Farrelly’s triumph and encapsulates the sense of freedom and independence associated not only with the sport but also with the energy of being young.