Mid 60s photo of Newport teenager Dorothy De Rooy, doing it, somewhere in Sydney, courtesy Dorothy Vidgen
Absolute pleasure to meet Dorothy Vidgen (formerly De Rooy) and Marilyn Birmingham at Newport today. Both were passionate board riders, totally involved in the mid 60s surfing world. While they were lucky enough to kick around their home breaks of Long Reef and Collaroy with a tight group of accepting and respected surfers, they also recalled a broader hostility towards women board riders and regarded themselves as pioneers. Even today Dorothy cringes at the way photographers favoured shots of her leaving the surf rather than ripping across the face of a wave. ‘You know’, she says, ‘I just loved surfing so much…’