Australian surf great honoured with Hall of Fame award
From the days of sleeping in a surf bag to seeing Molly Picklum become the sport’s top earner, Layne Beachley takes great joy in the rise and rise of women’s surfing.
Beachley’s exploits in and out of the water paved the way for the likes of Picklum and led to the seven-time world champion being honored with The Dawn award at the Sport Australia Hall of Fame ceremony in Melbourne on Monday night.
Named after swimming legend Dawn Fraser, The Dawn honors an individual or team for their “courage, bravery and capacity to change the sport for the good of others.”
Despite a lifelong involvement in the sport, youth outreach and chairing Australian Surfing for almost a decade, Beachley said he was “surprised and very humbled” when told he had been awarded this year’s award.
Athletes such as Lauren Jackson, the late Peter Norman and Evonne Goolagong Cawley have previously won the award.
“I’m surprised to be recognized and celebrated for a career that ended so long ago, so I feel a bit of imposter syndrome despite being so heavily invested in the sport,” the 53-year-old told AAP.
“I do this because I love it, I don’t do it for recognition or celebration, so these kinds of awards give me pause.”
After winning six consecutive world titles from 1998 to 2003, Beachley finished seventh in 2006 after serious neck and knee injuries.
He talked about his challenges, which included sleeping in a hostel bag at event venues because he couldn’t afford accommodation.
Beachley has pocketed $840,000 in prize money in his 19 years on tour.
By comparison, Picklum earned more than $750,000 en route to this year’s world title alone, edging out men’s world champion Yago Dora of Brazil by almost $200,000.
“This award gives me a great opportunity to reflect not only on my career, but also on the impact I have made, because when I joined the pro tour in 1990 I wanted to leave the sport in a better place than I found it, and I am grateful to see women’s surfing thriving today,” Beachley said.
“I know that the path I paved and the struggles I fought resulted in success, success and prosperity for future generations.
“Seeing women surf at the highest level with equal pay, equal opportunities, expanded spaces, investment, encouragement, respect – things that I feel my predecessors and our generation fought for and struggled with for so long – fills me with a sense of fulfillment.
“It also inspires me to keep pushing and encouraging the next generation to keep fighting for what is important to them and lifting others up along the way, so we make sure the next generation doesn’t have to do it so hard.”
Beachley, who still races with Sydney’s Freshwater Boardriders club, says it has been “heartwarming” to watch top female surfers, including 22-year-old Picklum, whom she first met as a sloop.
“The way girls surf today is mind-blowing and I am so impressed and proud of the way they hold themselves, their role model status, the leadership they show, but also the joy they feel about it,” she said.
“I first met Molly in 2017, she was identified by Surfing NSW as a potential champion surfer and Molly told a story about me signing an autograph and taking a photo with her when she was around 10 years old.
“There have always been many small touchpoints along the way, which reminds me of how important it is to leave a lasting legacy and a positive impression.”
