Outspoken feminist surfer’s ban lifted after ‘false’ attack apology

An outspoken feminist surfer who was banned from competing in a major Queensland longboarding event after criticising equality in the sport has won a reprieve.

Surfer Lucy Small. Picture: Instagram

An outspoken feminist surfer who was banned from competing in a major Queensland longboarding event after criticising equality in the sport has won a reprieve after apologising for her “false” attack.

Lucy Small, who has graced the cover of surfing “bible” Tracks magazine, took to Instagram this week to share an email from Noosa Festival of Surfing organisers telling her she could not take part in the long-running annual contest in March.

“Thank you for your interest in competing in the 2025 Noosa Festival of Surfing,” festival chairman John Finlay wrote in the email.

“We note that you are currently ineligible to enter any surfing competitions where the Noosa Malibu Club is a stakeholder. Accordingly, we are unable to accept your entry.

“A full refund of your entry fees will be made as soon as practical.”

Ms Small, an outspoken advocate on pay equality in sport, said in the post that the ban came after she complained to Surfing Australia about “unequal” prize money offered in last year’s Noosa Logger event which was also run by the Noosa Mal Club.

She said the controversy led to the open men’s division of the event being renamed as “open”, with club president Glen Gower’s daughter the only female competitor.

Ms Small said Surfing Australia had since closed the “loophole”. She said Mr Gower had made a complaint to the governing body about her “which was not upheld”.

“Just pondering this and what to do, where to go from here?” she said of the Noosa Festival of Surfing ban.

Lucy Small in Noosa in 2012.

“What do you do when one of the biggest longboard events of the year prevents you from entering because you believe in universal equality? Is it keep pushing back and fighting knowing that all that is going to come your way is probably more of this? Is it just accept it?

“Is it just easier to ignore it because I am one person and Noosa Festival is much bigger? I’m not sure, but I am definitely sad and hurt.”

Ms Small said she had competed at Noosa since 2011 and missed only a few contests.

“I have great memories of the event and it’s awful that because someone doesn’t agree with me or like me, they would think stopping me from entering the event is the answer,” she continued in her post.

“I think people in the world of surfing who have never had their views challenged or questioned don’t like it when someone is forthright and defiant, but I don’t think those who are should be prevented from competing.”

But in a subsequent Instagram post this week, Noosa Malibu Club said it had since received a “formal apology” from Ms Small.

It also posted a letter from club secretary Rick Espiner to Ms Small in which he said the club had accepted her “unreserved apology” and asked Mr Finlay and festival director Josh Allen to consider reinstating her eligibility to compete.

“The Noosa Malibu Club would like to take this opportunity to reiterate its proud and continued commitment to the values of equity, honesty and integrity in our sport and will continue to protect the reputation of the Club and its Members,” Mr Espiner wrote.

The club added: “We hope everyone can now all move forward and enjoy just surfing in 2025.”

The malibu club previously said it had banned Ms Small from all its events for bringing it “into national disrepute” by “creating and promoting a false narrative”.

It also posted an apology from Surfing Australia in 2023 which said the club had been wrongly accused of breaching prizemoney equality rules.