Gail Couper: With Bells On

I'd been surfing for a year and three months and I got caught up to compete in something. Turned up and it was Bell's Beach and ended up winning it. I was told that in two months time I would be surfing in Sydney at the World Titles and I'd better get used to competition. I thought, okay, that'll be interesting.

Welcome to the Water People podcast where we talk story with some of the most adept and interesting water people on the planet. I'm your host, Lauren Hill, joined by my partner, Dave Rastovich.

For us, this is a place to exchange not just ideas and practices, but stories. Experiential knowledge gleaned from the aquatic adventures that shape us.

We acknowledge the Bungalung Nation, the traditional custodians of the land and waters where we work and play, who have cared for this sea country for tens of thousands of years,

respect and gratitude to all First Nations people, including elders past, present and emerging. Let's raise a glass to something bigger than just great beer.

Meat, stone and wood, a brewery that thinks big and acts small. Today we're live in conversation with five-time national champ and 10-time winner

of the prestigious Bell's Beach Jarek event, Gail Cooper. In the year 2000, she was inducted into the Australian Surfing Hall of Fame and awarded the Australian Sports Medal

for Lifetime Achievement. Gail's been described as quote, the greatest Bell's surfer of all time. And I had the privilege of sitting down with her

in front of her hometown audience in Lorne as part of the Great Ocean Road Women's Surf Festival. Held on Garabhanu's country, the festival offers opportunities for surfers

from all backgrounds and experiences to come together and celebrate riding waves in the ocean. Special thanks to Surfing Victoria for having us

and for hosting their all-inclusive festival to celebrate surfing. Thank you for being here for this live water people recording.

It's such a pleasure. I've never been to Lawn before and wow, what a beautiful ocean scape you all get to call home. It is spectacular and so inspiring.

I got to jump in the water this afternoon with my friends and the coolness of the water that you all call warm, was really lovely. It's just such a pleasure to be here.

I really want to say thank you to Surfing Vic for gathering us all here this evening. The theater isn't full, but that's not as important as the quality of connection

that we have the opportunity to seize in gathering. Gathering together face to face is such an important part of what surf culture has always been.

And what I've noticed over the years of being involved in the surf culture and surf industry is that oftentimes women's stories have been excluded, left out.

And so each successive generation feels like they're the first generation, like they're pioneering. Even though there have always been women in the water, currently the estimates in the US and Australia

is that there are about 30% to 35% women in surf culture. The rest are male identifying. But actually if we look at the teenagers, the young people coming through right now,

and we look at the gender split, it's actually about 47% female. So this change is gonna come so much faster than we even know,

and we're seeing that change happen right now. And it's so important that we get into rooms together to connect, to share stories. I believe that all change begins with a story,

whether you're trying to get your kid to brush their teeth or you're trying to convince parliament that they should be working toward climate justice, A story can change everything.

I believe in creating spaces where we can share stories. And so I challenge you all to introduce yourself to someone you've never met before. Like that's the real value of these spaces

is getting to connect, create this web of community. We never know where it's gonna take us. I am so deeply privileged to sit here this evening and to be in story with the five-time national champion,

10-time winner of the prestigious Bell's Beach Jarek event in the year 2000. She was inducted into the Australian Surfing Hall of Fame and awarded the Australian Sports Medal

for Lifetime Achievement. Please put your hands together for she, who is described as quote, the greatest bell surfer of all time,

Lorne Local, National Legend, Gail Cooper. Gail, it's so important that while we still can, take the time to sit with our elders, especially the foremothers of surfing,

to honor you, acknowledge you, and make sure these stories are documented for future generations. Thank you.

Gail. Except you have to do something like this when that happens. We always begin the podcast by asking about a time or experience after which you were never the same.

Would you be willing to share a story like that with us this evening? I figured you were a storyteller after I read some of the questions. It's really hard to sort of think back to something like that. I think probably as a year 10 student, and I'd been surfing for a year and three

months and I got called up to go and compete in something that I had no idea what it was. Turned up and it was Bell's Beach and I went in that and ended up winning it. Which turned out to be Victorian Championship as well. And I was told that in two months time I would be surfing in Sydney at the World Titles

and I'd better get used to competition. I thought, oh, okay, that'll be interesting. So I turned up and Sydney got introduced to someone who was Australian champion and someone who was the best in New South Wales and whatever.

And I thought, oh gosh, am I going to even get any waves off these people? And I ended up coming forth. So I was quite happy with that as a school student and next year I got second. So that kind of changed everything for me really because I thought, oh, I might do

all right at this competition business. Because I was very keen on tennis. And that's where I was going. I thought, being coach since I was eight,

trained twice a week, played tennis with my family. I was going to be the next migrant court, I thought. You know, that's for my scheme anyway.