Layne Beachley AO

Readers note: This is an excerpt from the 200 Treasures exhibition catalogue, developed in 2017. This content was written as a brief biography on why this person was included in the exhibition.

Layne Beachley was queen of the waves. She won six consecutive world surfing titles between 1998 and 2003 and took her seventh in 2006.

Born in Sydney, Beachley grew up in the beachside suburb of Manly. At age 16, she moved into international surfing competition and stayed on the tour until her 2006 retirement.

As well as dominating women’s surfing, Beachley served on the World Surf League (WSL) board for 15 years and is a vice president of the International Surfing Association (ISA), the sport’s governing body. Throughout, Beachley has maintained a prominent public role as a motivational speaker, trainer and philanthropist. She is founder and director of the Aim for the Stars Foundation, which provides ‘financial assistance and moral support for young girls and women’ to reach their goals, a mission inspired by her personal struggles.

Even when she had a world ranking of number 2, she still had to work four jobs in order to compete internationally, a demanding situation that almost ended her career.

Recognition for Beachley’s services to the sport has come in many ways, including her appointment as Chair of Surfing Australia in 2015, and her induction into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2011. She was made an officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2015.

As remarkable as Beachley’s achievements are, they are all the more so when viewed in the light of her traumatic childhood and subsequent struggles with mental illness. She now publicly discusses both and plays a vital role in destigmatising mental- health issues.