Growing up on the Northern Beaches, Collaroy is an afterthought in the world of high performance surfing. Therefore, discovering that one of Northern Beaches’ and the world’s greatest surfers came out of crappy all year round wave that Collaroy has to offer was a shock. Robert “Nat” Young was the offspring of a Truck Driver and a school teacher, where he took
to surfing at the tender age of ten. He honed his agility and quickness on measly Collaroy one footers which allowed him to move his 6 foot 3 frame in an unmatched manner, wreaking havoc on competitors from the late 1960s into the 90's . Taking home three Bells (66,67,70), four World Longboard Championships (86,88-90) and one 1966 World Title as a teenager.
After Young's success, he dedicated himself to perfect waves and farming, giving up competition and moving North to Byron for a short period until his return in 1974. We can only imagine what the 'Animal' would have done to his competition in those four years if he stayed in Collaroy. Nat now resides in Angourie, surfing perfect Angourie and has raised four children to become Champion Longboarders themselves. Below is a photo of Nat soaking in his competitive glory, in 1966.
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