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If you read The Last Camper
in the November Issue of SURFER Magazine you absorbed the fascinating
history of Jeffreys Bay as seen through the eyes of its renowned
underground surfing legend Tony Van Den Huevel. Back in 1964 a young
17-year-old Van Den Heuvel was the youngest member of the adventurous
crew who discovered the world's best righthander. Their discovery came
just six months after the Endless Summer crew had unknowingly passed it
by on their way North towards Durban after their discovery at Cape St.
Francis. "The Last Camper" was a quiet tribute to Van Den Huevel and
his amazing saga, which has been playing out in J-Bay for more than
four decades. Van Den Heuevel, or "Doc" as he was known, was South
Africa's 1965 national surfing champion. He made his way around the
world in the late '60s before heading home to spend the rest of his
years living underground in the dunes overlooking the surf at J-Bay. As
the town evolved from tiny Afrikaan fishing outpost to surfing Mecca
and finally a popular tourist resort the world slowly squeezed in
around Doc, choking the dunes with development and sending the rest of
his breed packing. Yet, up until the very end Doc remained a holdout to
that magnificent bygone era of J-Bay past.
Just after the November issue hit newsstands we received the sad
news that Van Den Heuvel passed away of an apparent heart attack.
Details were sketchy but his body was discovered in the same campsite
we photographed him in for the story in the November issue. Doc was
just shy of 60. His loss has rattled the hearts and minds of many who
came to know and love him through the years. As longtime resident
Sharron Kraak said just a week before he died, "Tony is a town
treasure." Sadly, the last camper is gone now. The dunes, what's left
of them are completely void of campsites, and a huge hole has been left
in the heart of Jeffreys Bay.
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