Northern Beaches Council will commemorate the life and career of legendary surfing identity Bernard "Midget" Farrelly with a special memorial plaque overlooking Manly Beach, where he triumphed as the first ever male world surfing champion in 1964.

Mr Farrelly, who passed away on 6 August 2016, was the first Australian to win any major surfing title, the 1962 Makaha International Surfing Championships and shot to international fame in 1964 when he and fellow Australian Phyllis O’Donnell won the first World Surfboard Riding Championships.

General Manager Mark Ferguson said it is fitting that Northern Beaches Council can enshrine “Midget” Farrelly and commemorated his contribution to the sport of surfing and the Northern Beaches with this beautiful plaque.

“The sport of surfing and the culture that has blossomed with it really came of age in Australia when Manly hosted the first World Surfboard Riding Championship in 1964. 

“Since then a long list of surfers who call the Northern Beaches home have won national and world championships.

“The achievements of “Midget” Farrelly and Phyllis O’Donnell, and the lifestyle they inspired has helped mould the Northern Beaches into what it is today - a vibrant and cosmopolitan community, and a destination that attracts millions of visitors from around the world each year,” Mr Ferguson said.

Mr Farrelly was the first president (1961) of Australia's oldest surfboard riders club, Dee Why Surfing Fraternity, which still operates under the same name today.

He was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985 and into the Surfing Walk of Fame at California's Huntington Beach, Manly’s Sister City, in 2007.

The 700mm-diameter caste bronze plaque features a memorable photograph of Mr Farrelly competing in the 1964 World Surfboard Riding Championships. The picture was taken by renowned Australian surfing photographer Jack Eden.  

The plaque was unveiled by former Premier Mike Baird this week at the Australian Open of Surfing at North Steyne. The plaque will sit adjacent to the Ceremonial Stairs overlooking Manly Beach, opposite the Corso.