Greg Woodward was a documentary style surf photographer and writer from 1966 to 1974. He photographed Perth, Mandurah and Cape Naturaliste, sending photos and articles to a surf magazine called ‘Surf International’.
Greg was drafted to do two years of National Service in the Army in 1968. During leave in Queensland, he met the Torquay surfing crew after visiting Bells Beach, Coolangatta and Noosa Heads where he saw great surf and beach breaks.
After discharging in 1970, Greg returned to Melbourne to study photography. On weekends he hitchhiked to Torquay to surf and spend time with the Torquay crew.
Returning to Perth in 1971, Greg began photographing around the beaches, focussing on documentary pics and newspaper work. Greg also worked for the Independent Newspaper for six months.
In 1974, Greg began work as a photographer at the Art Gallery of Western Australia. He worked on exhibition catalogues and recorded the art and exhibitions for their files, eventually retiring in 2007.
Unfortunately, Greg stopped surfing in 1982 due to poor health.
The Library has a large collection of Greg's photographs, which mostly focus on the Perth CBD, Northbridge and Fremantle in the 1970s and 1980s. Our collection also includes a number of his classic beach shots (see below).
View all the works we have of Greg Woodward through the catalogue
