gwyn haslock

Sport, Surfing

1945  -  

Suggested by Sally Atkins 

Sally writes,
“Gwyn Haslock, Surfing Godmother born in 1945 from Truro, started body boarding in the 1950s and then decided to try surfing in 1960s.
The first boards were wooden Malibu 10ft boards and the instructor said that if she couldn’t carry the surf board she had no right in surfing, so she hoisted it above her head and carried it down to the water’s edge. 

Gwyn stood out as there were few women surfers, most of the Newquay surfers were male life guards or worked in the beach side shops. She on the other hand was a typist at Cornwall Council! 
Gwyn won her first trophy around 1965 and was still surfing at the age of 76. 
Find something you love and just do it!”  

See more photos of Gwyn in The Guardian’s terrific photo essay about her here:
Gwyn Haslock in The Guardian