WOMEN SURFERS IN SYDNEY CARNIVAL

Grey River Argus, 15 March 1949, Page 6

WOMEN SURFERS IN SYDNEY CARNIVAL

SYDNEY, March 14. For the first time in Australia girls took part during the week-enl in a championship carnival conducted by the Royal Live-saving Society. Five clubs were represented, and the events included a march past, and a sprint and a swim. Every girl who competed had won a bronze medallion or a higher award. The Royal Live-saving Society accepts the responsibility of patrolling harbours, lakes, rivers and estuaries, leaving the surf beaches to the Australian Surf Life-saving Association. The surf body will not permit women as members, even if they form clubs of their own, and will grant them no facilities to train with the reel and line, or to take Surf Association examinations. Surf life-saving methods were brought to New Zealand from Australia 40 years ago, but the New Zealand Surf Association, recognising the value of swimmers trained in surf work, has placed no restriction upon women learning the methods. New Zealand has had trained women’s surf teams for many years, and conducts a women’s Dominion championship competition yearly.