The Nirvana collection is a tribute to Bill Cilia and his iconic brand. The collector should be congratulated on the quality of the collection and his loyalty to the Nirvana label.

The Nirvana brand was actually started by Al Jeffries at McMasters beach who taught Bill & myself how to shape. Bill purchased the Nirvana label from Alf after moving around with collaborations with Graham “Woody” Woods (RIP) and John Harris at Norah Heads.

Bill set up camp at Kincumber on the NSW Central Coast and was soon pumping out more boards than he could handle. The Nirvana label grew to prominence and the guarantee of quality was at the forefront. Bill took on a stable of shapers to keep up with demand and the requirements of different shapes and many of these were the gun shapers of the era.

I think Bill’s friendship, association, and sponsorship of Mark (Sanga) Sainsbury (RIP) was a turning point for Nirvana, as Mark excelled with his surfing on tour the Nirvana brand became a worldwide phenomenon a tribute to both Bill and Marks abilities. Mark is credited with performing and perfecting the floater manoeuvre but sadly passed away doing what he loved. Surfing.

Bill Cilia (Bindi) is one of the nicest most genuine people I and many others have had the privilege to call a friend, so this collection has special meaning to museumofsurf. Thanks, Matt for being such a loyal follower and allowing us to use your images.