It's Getting Closer: Freeth May Return Next Month

If everything goes to plan, George Freeth may once again grace the Redondo Beach pier late next month. 

A new bronze bust of the pioneering surfer, now at the foundry, will replace the original 1977 statue, stolen two years ago. But that won't happen until nearby concrete work is completed. 

This week, the city council approved a contract of $56,423.70 for that job, paving the way for Freeth's reappearance at long last. Councilman Pat Aust, part of the Friends of Freeth org that raised money for the new statue, told Patch it's hard to predict the exact date due to the surrounding work that must come first. But he projects that the statue will return sometime between the last week of September and mid-October. 

 Friends of Freeth raised $22,000 to pay for the statue and a bench next to it. The city is paying for the concrete work, which is part of the pier beautification project.

The Redondo Beach Historical Society has been working with Friends of Freeth and the city on the project. The historical society released the original mold by late artist Terry O'Donnell to his daughter Karen and another artist for recasting.

"His daughter and another artist cleaned up the mold," Aust says, explaining, "wax gets brittle and cracked."

 The bronze statue, a familiar green presence on the pier, was apparently stolen for resale as scrap metal. It honored Freeth, one of the first surfers to bring the sport to the mainland; Henry Huntington hired him to demonstrate it in Redondo in 1907.  

To help ensure the replacement statue's safety, the city moved it slightly, so that it will now be in a higher traffic area  next to a directory sign.