Surfing’s Women in the Waves

Women in surfing will be celebrated on the Gold Coast. Find out when and where.

SURF World Gold Coast museum at Currumbin will host their first social function of the year with a special night dedicated to women’s surfing.

The Women in the Waves night will be held on Thursday, March 21, at 6pm (Queensland time).

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Surf World president Rob Ryan said it was the second time the museum would mark such a significant occasion.

Rachael Tilly from California studying at Bond University will be one of the 14 speakers at Women in the Waves. Please credit WSL.

“About five years ago Surf World hosted one of its best successful nights ever with a women’s surf night that was a huge hit for the Currumbin surf museum patrons and we are stoked to be doing it again,” he said.

The Women’s in the Waves night will feature a diverse line-up of 14 surfers, with backgrounds ranging from world champions on shortboards, longboards, SUPs, ­indigenous, ­pioneers, writers, photographers, artists, judges and musicians.

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Pam Burridge, the 1990 world champ who still surfs, will travel from Ulladulla on the NSW south coast.

She will be joined by close friends and fellow 1980s and 90s professional competitors Pauline Menczer, the 1993 world champ who now lives at Ocean Shores near Brunswick Heads, and Toni Sawyer, who is based at Cabarita.

Fingal’s Jalaan Slabb is the youngest guest on the panel and well known Indigenous surfer. Please credit Adrian Bort/ Adrenaline shots.

The 2015 world longboard champion Rachael Tilly, a Californian who is studying at Bond University, three-times world SUP champ Shakira Westdorp, of Tugun, and Fingal indigenous junior ­Jalaan Slabb are some of the current crop of women surfers who will attend.

Others include iconic surfing figures from the early days – first women’s world champ Phyllis O’Donnell, media model trailblazer Tanya Binning, Surfing Queensland’s first female president Robyn Harvey, and big-wave Hawaiian champ and 1980s professional competitor Nancy Emerson.

Surfing artists invited include surf-school teacher and author Sally MacKinnon who will be signing her new book Surfing as a Dance with photographer Alison Gowland. Both are Currumbin-based.

Joining them will be Coolangatta painter and surfing mum Jenny Midson and former competitor, surfing judge and singer-musician Jenny Steen, who will provide the live music entertainment.

The night costs $10 and tickets are available at Eventbrite via the Surf World Facebook page, or at the museum.