The heritage wooden boat made its debut with the club back in 1983 and brought the club serious surf boat racing success at the state championships. 

The Stegbar 3 even took Moruya SLSC to the semi-finals at the Australian titles. 

However during the late 1980s wooden surf boats were replaced with lightweight fibreglass boats and the Stegbar 3 settled into retirement. 

Long service member of Moruya SLSC and former Stegbar crew member Bert Hunt said once the boat was no longer of use to the club it was given to a shopping centre for display. 

“At the end of her racing life the boat was sold to a shopping centre in Hornsby where it was mounted as a display in the atrium roof space,” Mr Hunt said. 

“It proudly hung there representing Moruya for some 12 years until a shop refit saw it removed. 

“If it could talk it would be able to tell the story but after it came down from the ceiling it disappeared until about three months ago when out of the blue a phone call made the club aware of its location.” 

The boat had somehow made its way to Ocean Beach Surf Club which had plans to restore the boat back to its glory day. 

The members made a phone call to Moruya SLSC hoping to uncover some of the boats history and Moruya club members were delighted to hear the classic boat was safe and sound. 

“As it turned out the Moruya club had been on the lookout for an old timber boat to turn into a service bar for the club’s new renovations,” Mr Hunt said. 

“Many phone calls were made and another timber boat at Tura Beach was found. A swap deal was done and on Saturday the Stegbar 3 returned home.”