White cinders, a few fins and melted board skins are all that remain of Australian surfer David Ford's 260-strong collection of irreplaceable vintage surfboards.
The hand-crafted boards, some dating back to the 1960s, were destroyed by bush fires that swept through Ford's property over New Year's, sparing his home but incinerating the shed that housed his collection.
"What I'm most gutted about is that history has been lost," Ford, 62, said as he surveyed the debris.