The northern beaches’ 30 most influential people 30 and under in 2021 revealed
They are among our youngest and brightest shining stars on the northern beaches. Meet 30 of our most influential young guns.
Manly
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From local community volunteers to civic-minded footy players, internet influencers, entrepreneurial innovators and even a nine-year-old DJ, there is a wealth of young talent across the northern beaches.
These young, influential individuals are making their mark on the area through determination, drive and skill in their chosen craft and showing others that their dreams — big and small — can come true.
We’ve highlighted 30 of our young guns, who are 30 or under, making waves across the peninsula — some you may know, some you’ll be introduced to.
Read their amazing stories and marvel at the generation helping to shape our area’s future.
Grace Carroll, 18
The northern beaches’ daughter of Australian surfing legend Tom Carroll is now fast becoming a star in her own right, having earned herself a spot with The Australian Ballet.
The former Tanya Pearson Academy pupil, who studied under Lucinda Dunn, has also competed in prestigious dance competitions overseas and spent time at the Paris Opera Ballet School.
This year the teenager was accepted in The Australian Ballet.
One to keep an eye on.
Jake Trbojevic, 27
He’s big, he’s brave and the popular Sea Eagles NRL forward has a heart of gold when it comes to helping people, especially young men struggling with mental health issues.
Trbojevic shone in the junior rugby league ranks with the Mona Vale Raiders before being picked for junior NSW rep teams and playing for the Australian Schoolboys.
Since playing his debut first grade match for the Sea Eagles in 2013, he has become an inspirational figure for hundreds of junior footy players on the northern beaches and beyond.
Trbojevic was called into the Australian Kangaroos squad in 2016 and has played pivotal roles for the NSW Blues in a number of State of Origin matches.
As well as mentoring young Sea Eagles players Trbojevic volunteers for a men’s mental health organisation as an ambassador, and an avid fundraiser, for Gotcha4Life founded by Gus Worland.
Tom Trbojevic, 25
Known as “Tommy Turbo” to rugby league fans, the softly spoken Manly Sea Eagle, NSW State of Origin and Australian representative, who is blessed with speed and dazzling skills, is the current holder of the Dally M Medal for the best and fairest player in the NRL.
As well as being an inspirational figure to hundreds of footy playing kids on the Beaches he also devotes time to visiting sick children in hospital and preaching the gospel of rugby league and the benefits that flow from playing to game, to local schools and community groups.
Jack Berne, 13
The St Augustine’s College youngster has raised $1.8m for struggling farmers with his “A Fiver for a Farmer” campaign. He inspired children from across Australia to raise funds for farmers during the drough whne he started his campaign in August, 2018.
Jack’s been recognised by the Prime Minister his efforts and was even interviewed by actor and comedian Melissa McCarthy on a US TV show.
Sophie Terry – aka Sophie Tea, 28
Born in the UK, international artist Sophie Tea is now mainly based on the northern beaches.
Known for her paintings of the female form, she has a thriving business with a turnover of more than $2.3m a year.
Sophie can command a price of $45,000 for one of her large nudes. She is also known for her funky heart images painted on rose coloured mirrors.
The artist, with an Instagram following of more than 170,000, has a studio at Brookvale and a gallery in uber trendy Carnaby St, London.
Louis Leimbach, 30
The vocalist in the super popular northern beaches-based band Lime Cordiale,
Leimbach only just qualifies for this list, unlike his equally talented brother, Oli, 32.
The pair are behind the pop sensation Lime Cordiale that was nominated for eight ARIAs in 2020.
The duo grew up on Scotland Island and around the Avalon area.
They most recently lived in a house at Elanora Heights with seven other mates and have shows lined up in Australia, New Zealand and Europe in 2022.
Lisa Darmanin, 30
The silver medal winning Olympic sailor — and self-described “nerdy academic” — is proving to be an inspiration to young women taking on the sport.
Darmanin, from Balgowlah Heights, along with her first cousin first cousin Jason Waterhouse, from Newport, competed at the Tokyo Olympics this year in the Nacra 17 Mixed sailing event using a superfast hydrofoil catamaran.
The popular pair finished fifth.
They missed out on a medal this time, but Darmanin, who has a university degree in commerce, still has a silver form the same event at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro on her mantelpiece.
Noah Blockley, 19
The lead singer of the local band The Rions, winner of Northern Composure Unplugged and victorious in radio station Triple J’s prestigious 2021 “Unearthed High” band competition, went to Barrenjoey High School.
Triple J said “with front man Noah’s soaring vocals and their muscled-up guitar-driven indie rock, the four piece quickly drew comparisons to triple j favourites Ocean Alley, The Vanns and Lime Cordiale”.
The fledgling band played at the opening of the Avalon Youth Hub in May, 2018.
Emma Jeffcoat, 26
This super fit Australian triathlete, and NSW Institute of Sport scholarship winner, from Collaroy, is a permanent fixture on the international triathlon circuit.
She made her Olympic debut at the 2021 Tokyo Games as part of the Australian mixed relay triathlon team that finished ninth.
Jeffcoat battled terrible weather conditions caused by a typhoon, to finish 26th in the women’s individual event, the only Aussie out of three to finish the race.
In 2021 she also became Triathlon Australian Elite National Champion and Triathlon Australia Elite Super Sprint Champion.
Vivek Sirkeri, 13
The “Nipper” from the Warriewood Surf Life Saving Club, might not be big in stature but makes up for it with a big heart and a lot of determination.
Vivek is the current NSW Male Junior Lifesaver of the Year.
He has been involved in surf life saving for five years and has completed his Surf Rescue Certificate and is now keen to do his Bronze Medallion and go on to train as a crewman and eventually driver of the Inflatable Rescue Boats.
Vivek told SLSC officials when he received the award: “I started off as a little kid who never wanted to go in the water, I was such a puny boy and I was so afraid, and now I’m so comfortable on the beach, it’s like a second home”.
Indy Clinton, 24
The quintessential Aussie blonde surfer girl from Palm Beach first came to our attention in 2014, when she was earning decent pocket money from her Instagram posts while still at school.
Back then she was being offered up to $750 to feature brands in her posts and was living a celebrity-style life, attending photo shoots and attending charity events, in between doing her homework.
Now she has 149,000 followers on Instagram, a gorgeous husband and a very Instagrammable baby boy called Navy. There are still the bikini shots on her feed, but they are interspersed with aspirational images of her perfect family, including shots of her breastfeeding.
As well as her new role as a yummy mummy, she has also branched out into the fitspo (fitness inspiration) world. Fit With Indy on Instagram has a couple of thousand followers, but her six week shred challenges are attracting a couple of hundred people at a time.
Patrick Wood, 19
A former junior with the Collaroy Cromer Strikers Football Club and Manly United, this northern beaches’s soccer player is making a big name for himself in the professional ranks with Sydney FC.
Wood, who did his HSC at St Pauls Catholic College, Manly, is a regular starter up front for the A League giants after being part of the club’s Youth League championship winning side.
He has also already earned international honours playing with the Australian Under 23 squad as well as a being a role model for local junior footballers with ambitions of making the big time.
Piper Harrison, 19
This young gun is running for the Your Northern Beaches Independent Team at the December 4 Northern Beaches Election.
Now a university student, she is a member of Manly Life Saving Club and current Ironwoman competitor who has a passion for social justice, especially indigenous affairs.
The former Northern Beaches Secondary College student completed Aboriginal Studies a year before the rest of her HSC peers in 2019, blitzing the course as an accelerated student while still in Year 11.
She also encourages and supports young people to speak up and voice their concerns.
Laura Enever, 30
The North Narrabeen-raised two-time World Junior Champion, Australian Champion and Pro Jnr Champion who competed on the WSL Women’s World Tour for seven years, has been an role model for girls and young women looking at a career in surfing.
Enever added another string to her bow when she made the unprecedented mid-career shift to take on the male- dominated sport of big wave surfing, becoming one of the best female big wave surfers in the world.
In March last year she released “Undone” — a documentary which highlights Enever’s triumphs and tribulations as she travelled across Australia to surf Southern Ocean swells and some of the most dangerous and remote waves on the planet.
Enever has also given her time at events to support OneWave and Billabong to raise awareness for mental health.
Tiana Longo, 18
A young woman with a flair for business and thinking quickly on her feet, Ms Longo is the current Northern Beaches Local Business Awards – Youth Award winner.
Ms Longo works at Beaches Baby at Freshwater, which offers breastfeeding education and doula services and a shop for new parents.
The owners of the business said that when Covid hit, they had to take their products online.
“A quick crash course in website development and Tiana took on the responsibility for getting everything up onto the website and doing the quick turnaround, allowing us to keep providing a service to (our customers) in that crazy time”.
Mark Perry, 18
The cricket coach, from Frenchs Fores,t is the current Northern Beaches Young Volunteer of the Year.
Mark is a qualified coach with the all-ability BlowFly Cricket Club.
The Centre for Volunteering said: “He gives back as a coach via the “Uncoachables Coaching the Uncoachables” program, which helps to develop increased levels of self-esteem, self-confidence, self-belief and assertiveness skills.”
BlowFly Cricket is a program for children, adolescents and adults — five to 50 years old — with special needs and/or intellectual disabilities.
It caters for children, adolescents and adults with autism, Down syndrome and other special needs and intellectual disabilities.
Kawani Prenter, 23
This international model from Narrabeen was discovered at a barbecue on the northern beaches before stepping out on the fashion catwalks of New York and Paris.
The 180cm tall Ms Prenter, who was 17 when she was modelling at the David Jones spring/summer fashion launch and hired for the Australian Fashion Week the same year, was in Year 11 at St Luke’s Grammar in Dee Why at the time.
Ms Prenter was a child model for the likes of Big W but at 14, she was noticed by a talent scout for IMG Models.
Paris Emmanoilidis, 9
‘DJ Paris’ helped other Sydney kids beat the Covid blues with his weekly high energy live virtual dance parties
The young entrepreneur, from Bayview, did online shows from his bedroom to keep children cheerful during the lengthy pandemic lockdowns.
When the last lockdown hit in June, Paris was forced to postpone his regular Saturday morning show at the 8 Knots Cafe at Bayview, but he worked out a new way to bring his beats to young fans.
Using social media platform Instagram to reach his audience, Paris, played for two hours on Friday nights between 5pm and 7pm.
Michael Hooper, 30
The captain of the Wallabies — the Australian national rugby union team — who has played close to 120 games for country and led the side more than 60 times, has been an inspirational presence on and off the field.
Hooper, who grew up at Collaroy and played his junior rugby for Manly and played for his school St Pius X at Chatswood, has more than 27,000 followers on Instagram.
Oliver (Ollie) Davies, 21
This young Curl Curl cricket prodigy was the youngest player in the history of Manly Cricket Club to score a first grade century when he hit 119 against St George in March 2018.
He was just 17 years old.
Davies was described as a “revelation” when he scored at quickfire 48 runs from 23 in a game for the Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League.
Davies, who went to St Paul’s Catholic College at Manly, came to notice during the 2018/19 Under 19 National Championships when he smashed 207 from 115 balls for NSW Metro including 17 sixes and 14 fours. He is also contracted with the NSW Blues.
Chris Hayward, 25
The owner of organic fair-trade coffee shop and grocer, Veda, in Freshwater, opened his first cafe, Cridas, in Manly when he was just 19, before deciding to go travelling two years later.
He discovered yoga and enjoyed the health and wellness industry in India. When he returned he wanted to create a business with as little waste as possible. So, he opened up his own cafe inspired by “Ayurveda”, which means knowledge.
His business has a strong ethical stance, his takeaway coffee cups are made from sugar cane plant pulp and can be put in the compost or recycled.
Steve Chapman, 28
Steve Chapman, a business entrepreneur and co-founder of Shine, a natural energy drink company, likes to stand out from the crowd.
He has set up his company’s head office – painted bright yellow – on the corner of Sydney Rd and Central Ave in Manly, so he can have a swim or a surf at lunchtime.
The company, which sells healthy energy drinks, launched in 2017 and is now being sold in 6000 shops across Australia, including Coles. It’s retail sales have topped $25m since operations began.
As well as teaming up the brand with ambassadors such as prominent surfers, he plans to host events for the community that match the brand’s ethos and will help people “think and feel and do better”, such as meditation, breathing exercises and ice bath challenges.
Stephanie Evans, 18
At the age of 10 Stephanie founded a charity called Seas for Change, advocating for the environment and threatened marine life.
Fast forward eight years and she’s now a global speaker on climate change and a mentor for young people.
Her friends have also been inspired to join the charity to help raise funds and awareness too.
Stephanie, a pupil at Manly Selective High School, was named Northern Beaches Young Citizen of the Year 2021 for her amazing efforts in the climate change space.
“I work with people across the world and I speak at events and schools locally to raise awareness of our threatened marine life and the environment,” she said.
Melanie Chaix, 26
When Ms Chaix, who is originally a pastry chef from France, opened up her ice-cream and sorbet business three years ago, she decided to make her products dairy-free to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“I didn’t want any dairy in my ice cream because it is not the best for the environment,” she said.
She did thousands of trials to come up with different flavours including carrot and orange sorbet, which includes almost 60 per cent carrot juice.
Her ice-creams and sorbet have a high raw fruit and vegetable content, so need less sugar, unlike typical ice-creams.
Pepita’s also come in environmentally friendly compostable packaging.
She is also helping to raise awareness around PEP-11, which could see gas drilling off the northern beaches.
Ethan Hrnjak, 18,
This passionate young man believes climate change is such a big issue he is running in the local council elections on December 4.
The 18-year-old is the lead candidate for The Greens in the Narrabeen Ward.
He will be campaigning for the election while he is studying and taking his HSC exams.
“I think young people are being silenced on the matter of climate change,” Ethan said.
He added that the problem was that most of the decision making is being made by older people.
Cooper Chapman, 27
This talented pro surfer is also a mental heath advocate.
So concerned is he about youth suicide he founded The Good Human Factory, which teaches and inspires kids in schools to take better care of their mental health.
Chapman is very hands on, going into schools himself to host workshops and teaching students the skills and strategies they need, like mindfulness and meditation, to manage their anxiety, cope better with stress, and live a positive and balanced life.
He says having suffered from anxiety and depression, young people can relate to him.
Flume, 30
He was born Harley Streten, but is known to millions as Flume, a multi award-winning, electronic music producer who has played to massive crowds all over the world.
Regarded as being a pioneer of the future bass genre, Flume’s self-titled debut solo album was released in 2012.
Since then he has won a string of ARIAS, a Grammy and was nominated in this year’s Grammy Awards for “The Difference featuring Toro y Moi”.
He has topped the Hottest 100 previously and came third in this year’s list.
Flume has more than a million followers on his Instagram and more than nine million monthly listeners on Spotify.
Nathan Brook, 26
Brook was seven years old and the youngest of three boys growing up in Avalon when his neighbours spotted him dancing in his living room.
They were Sydney Dance Company supporters and immediately recognised that not only did he love to dance but that he had potential.
They insisted his mum and dad sign him up for dance classes.
Brook, who is now a soloist for The Australian Ballet, said he was lucky because his family supported him and helped him when he was bullied at school for going to ballet classes.
After winning Telstra Ballet Dancer of the Year in 2021, Brook said he wanted to make men dancing acceptable in Australia.
“It’s crazy, it’s not at all unusual for a man to want to dance, it’s a completely natural thing,” he said.
Ellia Green, 28
Australian rugby player and Olympic Gold medallist, Green was a member of the Australia Rugby Sevens team that won the gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Born in Fiji, she began playing Rugby Sevens for Warringah at club level, before going on to debut for Australia in February 2013.
In Rio Green and her teammates beat New Zealand in the final to clinch the gold.
She has 50,000 followers on her Instagram.
Jemma Smith, 21
Ironwoman Jemma Smith competes with the Newport Surf Life Saving Club and has become an inspirational figure, especially to young girls.
Smith is an Australian Lifesaving Team representative and has twice been named “Female Competitor of the Carnival” at the Australian Life Saving Championship where she has won 16 times across both lifesaving and surf events.
She is also a three-time winner of the Surf Life Saving Australia National Youth Athlete of the Year and in 2019 became the U23 World Champion at the ICF Canoe Ocean Racing World Championships in France.
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