Kim McKenzie NAA: A6180, 17/10/73/43
SIX OF THE BEST 1960s: Ma Bendall was not a competitor, but she was always the one having the most fun in the water. 1970s: Kim McKenzie was a multiple Queensland and Australian champion. 1980s: Da Bomb surf shop proprietor Sharon Jackson of Alex Headland (still a force in senior divisions) was a regular on the podium, taking a classy second at the Bells Beach Pro in 1982. 1990s: Caloundra’s Serena Brooke burst onto the world scene as pro tour rookie of 1995 and held a place on tour for the rest of the decade. 2000s: Noosa’s Alissa Dragan, daughter of super surfboard craftsman Tony Dragan, made a splash on the world qualifying tour, competing around the world. 2010s: A world tour rookie in 2014, Buderim’s Dimity Stoyle is exceeding expectations, having beaten world champion Carissa Moore twice and having a genuine outside chance at a world title on her first attempt.
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SHE WAS PROBABLY THE ONLY SURFER IN THE WORLD WITH A LICENCE TO KILL 400 SHARKS A YEAR.
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a reluctant celebrity, she was more comfortable working her boat and surfing alone at secluded breaks simply for the love of it. She still lives the quiet life by the ocean north of Noosa. While the Mooloolaba Shark Gal was making headlines, Peppie Simpson was freezing her butt off learning to surf around Point Leo on Victoria’s coast. She’d grown up on Sydney’s Manly Beach, but when the family moved to Victoria she had to come to terms with freezing water and an inadequate wetsuit as she learned to ride the waves, first on a rubber mat, then a belly board before finally graduating to a shortboard. >