Kanga, Bells sheepskin & tash, 1976. Photo: Joli

One of the ‘Bronzed Aussies’ along with PT and Mark Warren, Ian Cairns was instrumental in pro surfing’s embryonic 70’s stages. A powerful multiple WA champ and a big, tall unit, Cairns needed a bit of wave to work with, one of the reasons he did so well in Hawaii, winning the Smirnoff, Duke Classic and World Cup, and becoming the second ever World Champion in 77. When the shit went down in Hawaii in response to Bugs’ ‘We’re Tops Now’ Surfer Mag article, Kanga admitted getting himself a bat for his boardbag and a shotgun for his car, and being more than prepared to use them in self-defense. He took time off from competing in ‘78 to do the surfing scene for Gary Busey’s Leroy the Masochist in Big Wednesday, which is pretty cool.