Isabel Letham
Encyclopedia
Isabel Letham was an Australia
n pioneer surfboard rider and swimming instructor, renowned as 'the first Australian to ride a surfboard' (although she disputed that claim). In 1915 at Freshwater Beach
, Sydney
she experimented riding a board in the Hawaiian tradition in tandem with Duke Kahanamoku
.
Kahanamoku had been invited to Australia by the NSW Swimming Association. He hadn't brought a board so Letham's father William Letham helped him make one from sugar pine
. At Freshwater Beach Kahanamoku gave a 3 hour demonstration of "Hawaiian-style surf shooting" to a crowd of several hundred people. Australians had been bodyboarding
on wooden boards, and bodysurfing
, but not standing up.
At the end of the session Kahanamoku invited Letham from the crowd for a tandem surfing demonstration. Letham was 15 at the time, but an accomplished swimmer and bodysurfer, and known as something of a tomboy
. On the first few waves they paddled for she yelled for him to stop because it felt like going off a cliff. Being a gentleman Kahanamoku did stop, but then ignored her cries, went anyway, and hauled her up. They rode four waves that day and Letham was, as she later said "hooked for life".
Letham went on to become an accomplished surfer, and to teach surfing and swimming.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n pioneer surfboard rider and swimming instructor, renowned as 'the first Australian to ride a surfboard' (although she disputed that claim). In 1915 at Freshwater Beach
Freshwater Beach
Freshwater Beach is a beach located in Freshwater, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney, Australia. Freshwater Beach is the first beach north of Manly, New South Wales, on the Peninsula. The beach is flanked by a headland at each end and can produce excellent surf. There is a large rock pool at the...
, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
she experimented riding a board in the Hawaiian tradition in tandem with Duke Kahanamoku
Duke Kahanamoku
Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku was a Hawaiian swimmer, actor, lawman, early beach volleyball player and businessman credited with spreading the sport of surfing. He was a five-time Olympic medalist in swimming.-Early years:The name "Duke" is not a title, but a given name...
.
Kahanamoku had been invited to Australia by the NSW Swimming Association. He hadn't brought a board so Letham's father William Letham helped him make one from sugar pine
Sugar Pine
Pinus lambertiana, commonly known as the sugar pine or sugar cone pine, is the tallest and most massive pine, with the longest cones of any conifer...
. At Freshwater Beach Kahanamoku gave a 3 hour demonstration of "Hawaiian-style surf shooting" to a crowd of several hundred people. Australians had been bodyboarding
Bodyboarding
Bodyboarding is a surface water sport . The average board consists of a small, rectangular piece of hydrodynamic foam, sometimes containing a ridged spine called a 'stringer'...
on wooden boards, and bodysurfing
Bodysurfing
Bodysurfing is the art and sport of riding a wave without the assistance of any buoyant device such as a surfboard or bodyboard. Bodysurfers typically equip themselves only with a pair of specialized swimfins that stay on during turbulent conditions and optimize propulsion.-Technique:To get on the...
, but not standing up.
At the end of the session Kahanamoku invited Letham from the crowd for a tandem surfing demonstration. Letham was 15 at the time, but an accomplished swimmer and bodysurfer, and known as something of a tomboy
Tomboy
A tomboy is a girl who exhibits characteristics or behaviors considered typical of the gender role of a boy, including the wearing of typically masculine-oriented clothes and engaging in games and activities that are often physical in nature, and which are considered in many cultures to be the...
. On the first few waves they paddled for she yelled for him to stop because it felt like going off a cliff. Being a gentleman Kahanamoku did stop, but then ignored her cries, went anyway, and hauled her up. They rode four waves that day and Letham was, as she later said "hooked for life".
Letham went on to become an accomplished surfer, and to teach surfing and swimming.
Further Reading
- Surf's up: The Girl's Guide to Surfing, Louise Southerden, ISBN 1-74114-237-7.
- Making Waves - Isabel Letham 1899-1995, Warringah CouncilWarringah CouncilWarringah is a local council area in the Northern Beaches region of Sydney, Australia. Warringah Council overlaps with a number of suburbs from the Manly Council area to the south and the Pittwater Council area to the north...
Local Studies http://www.warringah.nsw.gov.au/locstud1.htm - legendarysurfers.com entry for Letham