Number 4 of the northern beaches top 20 most influential people
VIDEO ENTRY: The person ranked 4th on the northern beaches’ top 20 most influential list is arguably Australia’s greatest ever female athlete. See who it is and let us know if you agree.
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THEY are experts in their fields, whether that be sport, business, fashion, politics or the law. They are the people whose opinions and actions we value and watch with sometimes envy, sometimes disdain and disagreement.
The Manly Daily staff debated over who should be on the list and where they should rank.
We considered their positions as role models and/or decision makers, starting from position 20 through to position 1. Today we list number 4 on our list.
All 20 will be listed on our website, manlydaily.com.au, over coming days with your opportunity to agree, disagree or suggest others who should be on the list of the most influential people on the peninsula.
#4 Layne Beachley: Seven-time world surfing champion
Number four on our list is a woman who could put up a pretty good argument for being Australia’s greatest ever female athlete.
Layne Beachley, 46, is a seven-time world surfing champion and has paved the way for today’s stars of the sport, including Tyler Wright and Stephanie Gilmore.
Beachley has also inspired thousands of surfers — both young and old — on the northern beaches.
Along with her incomparable boardriding skills, she hosted the world’s richest women-only surf contest, the Beachley Classic, from 2006-2012.
“My primary aim was to raise the profile of women’s surfing and I would like to think the Classic did just that,” she told the Manly Daily in 2013.
“I wanted to make it part of the community, and be it Manly, North Steyne or Dee Why, people came out in droves to see the girls.”
Beachley has also been the director of the Aim for the Stars Foundation since 2003.
The foundation was set up by Layne to help talented young women achieve their goals.
Beachley, who stepped down from the role this past week, said the foundation ensured 500 scholarships were provided to young women across a range of careers.
“It’s been an inspiring journey, leaving a lasting legacy that lives on in the hearts and souls of all the women we have supported,” she posted on Instagram.
In 2005 Beachley was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for “distinguished service to the community through support for a range of charitable organisations, as a mentor for women in sport, and to surfing as a world champion competitor.”
She also received the Laureus World Alternative Sportsperson of the Year Award in 2004 and was named the Extreme Female Athlete of the Year as part of the Teen Choice Awards in 2005.
She is also a member of the Australian and U.S surfing halls of fame, along with the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.
Tomorrow morning the most influential person ranked 3 on our list will be revealed at manlydaily.com.au.
DO YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE? LET US KNOW IN THE COMMENTS SECTION BELOW.