Allegra Spender (Wentworth, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

Last week, I was honoured to attend the unveiling of a bronze statue of Pauline Menczer, which overlooks the waves of Bondi Beach. Born and raised by the beach, Pauline is Bondi's only world champion surfer—winning the title in 1993. But her path to that achievement was far from smooth. Pauline told us at the unveiling about how she battled sexism, homophobia and debilitating rheumatoid arthritis, and, unlike her male counterparts, she received no sponsorship support. Her success is a testament to her extraordinary resilience and determination. She said, 'If you don't have sponsors, you can't offend them when you speak your mind.' Initially, Pauline didn't want a statue, but she was convinced to have one because she could see the role it would have in inspiring the next generation of female sportspeople.

Only six per cent of statues in New South Wales are women and most of them, apparently, are royal women. It's important that trailblazing sportspeople like Pauline are also immortalised in our public spaces. This public statue has been a long time coming—not just for Pauline and her partner, Sam, but for the Pauline in Bronze campaign led by Christopher Nelius, who has been pushing tirelessly for this recognition for over five years. I want to thank the artist, Cathy Weiszmann, and Waverley Council for helping to secure this perfect location. I'm so proud that the Wentworth community and visitors alike will be able to see Pauline in her place overlooking Bondi, and I know her legacy will continue to live on in the dreams of the next generation of women surfers.

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