Left Handed Ooldea Traditional by Max Hoeben

Item JB20       

This Item was Sold on 20 January 2014 for $19


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This left handed traditional boomerang was made in 1978 by Max Hoeben for Rusty Harding. The underside has " Homemade Ooldea ; To Rusty ; From Max Hoeben ; Amstelveen - Holland ; 7th Sept. ;78 " printed on it in Max Hoeben's handwriting. The upper surface has orange and blue stripes and a Max Hoeben address label that is partially pealed off. There is a small chip on the dingle arm tip, but this chip was present when the varnish was applied to the wood, so it is not damaged from throwing. I was able to test throw this boomerang before listing and it is a very nice flyer with a flight range of 30+ metres. The flight is low and circular. It does require a lot of spin and at least 20 degrees of layover during the throw. Light winds are ideal for this model. A wonderful collectible directly from Rusty Harding's personal throw kit.

Specifications: Left Handed ; Span = 50 cm ; Weight = 94 gm


Max Hoeben is considered by many to be the father of organized boomerang competition in Europe. Max grew up in Amsterdam, Holland in the years prior to World War II. Max was a close friend of Anne Frank who is well known for her diary, a literary masterpiece. At the beginning of World War II, Max was taken to Germany and forced to work in German factories. He escaped with a friend and made his way back to Holland, only to be recaptured and returned to another labor camp. Max escaped a second time. He returned to Holland where he hid out until the end of the war. Max worked many odd jobs after the war. He is a well known Dutch author of mystery novels. One of his jobs took him to Australia where he was introduced to boomerang throwing. Max met many of the legendary boomerangers in the 1960s and early 1970s. After returning to Holland, Max, and his partner Tonny Van der Gyp, formed the Holland Boomerang Association and invited throwers from all over Europe to participate in the first European tournaments. This happened at the same time that Ben Ruhe was introducing boomerangs to the American public. Max continued to host tournaments throughout the 1970s and 1980s. He also promoted boomerangs on TV and in publications. Max died on 5 December 2001. He is missed by everyone in the boomerang community.



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