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Phyllis O'Donnell
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Just a little surfing history on a pioneer of Women's surfing...
When you google Phyllis O'Donnell it has her date of birth, 1937. And her occupation: surfboard rider. In 1964, at the age of twenty-seven, Phyllis O'Donnell won the first ever world championship in women's surfing. For her efforts (apart from the glory) she won $250, a surfboard and numerous packets of cigarettes. Hows that for a sign of the times!
So you think it can be crazy these days being a girl in the water, when Phyllis started surfing, it was dominated by men. Some of whom, she recalls, would take aim at her head while she was paddling back out to the lineup. Phyllis was a part of the dynamic surf scene in Sydney through the 50's, 60's and 70's.
She is delighted how far the sport has come and how the level of women's surfing has progressed. In the words of Phyllis, 'The girls, especially on the pro circuit, are absolutely fantastic.'
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