Surf World Gold Coast

Phyllis O'Donell honoured in Gold Coast paddle out

Recent ABC News story about Phyllis O’Donell, first woman to win world surfing title, being honoured with a paddle-out at Kirra Beach on the Gold Coast.

Paddling out to catch a wave in Australia in the 1960s was a nerve-racking experience for many women, but not for Phyllis O’Donell.

Women weren’t welcome in the surf, but Ms O’Donell didn’t care. It was 1964 and she had just won the first women’s world surfing championship at Manly in Sydney.

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