From “borrowing” lumber and plywood from a builder’s yard to constructing one of North America’s biggest wooden, skateboard half-pipes in a Richmond backyard.
Those are just a handful of the memories of a ‘70s childhood spent growing up in Maple Road, a relatively quiet, residential street, just south of No. 2 and Francis roads.
The memories belong to a small, but tight band of skateboarding Richmond natives; Kevin Harris (who went on to become Canada’s first pro skateboarder), Lyle Chippeway, Doug Hasslett, Mike Blake and Glen Billwiller, most of whom either lived or skated on Maple Road.
However, it’s the latter of the gang, Billwiller – who moved to Australia in 1988 – who has immortalized their youth with the design of a skateboard dedicated to their wonder years on a very special Richmond street.
“Maple Road was an awesome place to skate and hang out,” said Billwiller, who started his own skateboard shop, Aikenheads Skateboards, in Western Australia 10 years ago, with the help of Harris.
“I would go to Maple Road every day after school and skate. We would set up cones for slalom racing, do the hippie jump over a bar, skate the ramp and practise free style in Kevin’s carport.
“We soon…needed to build bigger ramps. Bigger ramps meant larger quantities of lumber…we would go out after dark to construction sites to 'borrow' some.”
Billwiller said they built one of the largest wooden half-pipes on the continent in Harris' backyard, which even attracted pros like Tony Alva and Shogo Kubo to drive up from California, just to ride it.
“By about 1978-79 I had moved and stopped skateboarding; I did not return to Maple Road,” recalled Billwiller.
About six years ago, however, Billwiller’s skateboard shop issued a small run of Maple Road boards, as a tribute to their youth.
And coming out early next year is the latest version, with the gang portrayed as zombies, given the fact they’ve aged considerably since the early days of Maple Road.
“About the year 2000, I caught up with Kevin over emails and rekindled the friendship,” added Billwiller, who used to deliver the Richmond Review in 1973.
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