Legendary surfer Bernard `Midget' Farrelly was a pioneer for Australia's current dominance in the sport.
Farrelly, who died on Sunday aged 71, was the sport's first world champion when he claimed the title in front of more than 60,000 fans at Manly beach in 1964.
Since then, Australians have won 31 of a possible 94 world championships across both the male and female titles.
And as far as Surfing Australia chief executive Andrew Stark is concerned, that is because of Farrelly's influence.
"It wouldn't be where it is today without guys like Midget - he really led the charge," Stark said.
"He was the first legitimate superstar and the first household name.
"And there's been a lot of surfers since him in terms of Nat Young and Tom Carroll and Barton Lynch and Mick Fanning."
Farrell began surfing as a six-year-old and remained heavily involved in the sport until his late years.
He rose to stardom when he became the first Australian to win a major tournament overseas at the unofficial world championships in Makaha, Hawaii.
He then turned his hand to the growth of the sport, helping establish both the International Surfing Federation and Surfing Australia.
"He was the epitome of the sport," Stark said.
"A style master himself in terms of surfing.
He then returned to finish runner-up in the 1968 and 1970 world championships, all the while playing a key role in the design of the shortboard as it evolved throughout the decade.
He then continued in that career well after his retirement from competitive surfing.
"He was across everything," Stark said.
"In terms of board design and manufacturing and style and competition and organisation and culture and the lifestyle element and fashion."
Farrelly was inducted as an inaugural athlete member to The Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985, before later entering the surfing walk of fame at California's Huntington Beach in 2007.
"Midget was a pioneer of his sport; a truly deserving Inaugural Inductee into The Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985," chairman John Bertrand said.
"Midget, an excellent role model for aspiring surfers around the nation, will be sorely missed."
Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates also paid tribute to Farrelly, saying surfers owed him a great deal for the sport's inclusion in the 2020 Games.
