I wanted to join Kirra Surfriders in 1977 but the club claimed it didn't have women in it.
When I was told I couldn't become a member I was most upset, especially coming through one of the most liberated youth cultures of the century and also representing the women from the first surfing era.
But in reality it was a trigger for me to help Gail Austen and Phyllis O'Donnell to form the Australian Women's Surfriders Association.
The women's association lasted 10 years and in that time women advanced tremendously and proved their true value.
I then returned my focus to KirraSurfriders Club. After researching Kirra's club history I found out the club was started by a few local guys like Mal Sutherland, Brian Woodrick and Tony Butler in 1963.
A local, Johnny Charlton owned the board hire at Kirra at the time and he allowed the first meeting to take place in the women's change rooms and at these first meetings John's daughters Carol and Robyn were present.
His two daughters would have been foundation members. I battled on for a few years doing the 'preso' thing until the guys started realising that there were girls out there that did surf and surfed well.
They then opened the club to women again but I'm sure a lot of the guys had ulterior motives for having women in the club.
I didn't join.
Colleen Deane went on to become an Australian Champion that was a great achievement for her and Kirra.
We probably had the first woman Vice President, Debbie Long; she did a great job. She actually was nominated for President because of her great administration and organizational skills but because she was a woman she just simply didn't get the job.
The members of the time just couldn't come to grips with Kirra being headed by a woman. Through the '80's Kirra's women's ranks swelled. They had the largest women's membership on the Coast, probably in Australia. With most sports starting to take on a professional level it was time for Kirra to get its act together.
With my involvement with Surfing Australia I had first hand information as to how it actually worked. I had to become a member first, so 15 years after I asked to join the club I finally became a member.
Kirra was about to grow up, we didn't discriminate, we have women, we have indigenous members and we have disabled members.
Kirra needed financial input for us to grow and there was money there, you just had to know-how to get it.
I put together the first 'Three Year Junior Development Program'. With that Kirra had to become incorporated, and audited.
Tony Butler had become an accountant so he did the books. There were years of receipts collected in shoe boxes, brown paper bags and globites. Funny most of them were keg bills.
The State Government of the day was giving grants to sporting clubs; we were on our way to adulthood.
I became an accredited surf coach, which was a vital part of receiving government grant for junior development. Kirra received the grant and led the way for a while, we even became consultants for other clubs and showed them how to do it. In the three year development plan there was a mission statement there to acquire a club room in the Kirra Pavilion.
The timing seemed right; the Kirra Pavilion was just about ready to be restored back to its former glory. We were in with a chance. Letters were written; the answer came back 'no way said the council.' There would be no room for a bunch of surfers the council said.
Peter Turner the Alderman for the area of Kirra and a member of Snapper Rocks Surf riders Club was on our side. He was a surfer and was also committed to seeing that surfers had the same equality and be treated the same as footballers, cricket players and who ever else had their own club rooms.
After much lobbying by Peter Turner, and we will be forever grateful, we got the club room. It took nearly four years but we got it. It opened the way for surfers to have club rooms,
Alley Boardriders were next to receive a club room and I'm sure there will be many more. The mayor opened the room and old members came out of the woodwork to celebrate. Some retired from surfing and some are still as keen as when they were 16 year old grommies. Kirra made history again.
We hold our meetings every second Monday night there.
Five years later Kirra's room is bursting at the seams, now we need a bigger one. Lynn Scammell