Surfing Australia in partnership with the Royal Australian Mint has released an official collector's coin to commemorate its 50th Anniversary.
Surfing Australia was established in 1963 as the Australian Surfriders Association and next year will celebrate its 50th Anniversary milestone.
The release of the coin is the first in a series of events to mark the celebration, culminating in next year's Australian Surfing Awards incorporating the Hall of Fame dinner in Manly on 20th February 2013. Later this year a comprehensive book titled Surfing Australia: A Complete History of Surfboard Riding in Australia, covering the evolution of surfing in Australia over the past 50 years and written by Phil Jarratt, will be launched.
Federal Treasurer and Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon Wayne Swan MP, who opened the $4 million Hurley Surfing Australia High Performance Centre in Casuarina, northern NSW in June this year, warmly welcomed the announcement.
"Surfing Australia has made such a great contribution to Australia's sporting fabric and has produced so many great surfing champions - so this new coin is well-deserved recognition of Surfing Australia's achievements", Mr Swan said.
"Like thousands of Aussies, surfing the local breaks was a treasured bit of my younger years, and it's been really heartening to see surfing in Australia go from strength to strength over the past half century, which this new coin celebrates."
The uncirculated coins are each packaged with their own unique surfboard shaped coin holder. The holder features an image of five-time World Champion Stephanie Gilmore.
"It truly is an honour to be involved with the Australian Government and Surfing Australia in this coin," Gilmore said. "Thank you so much for choosing my image for the packaging.
"Congratulations to Surfing Australia for a huge 50 years. What a success it has been. I feel that a lot of the world's best surfers that come out of Australia really have a lot to thank and be appreciative of Surfing Australia and everything they have done from our junior careers right up to our professional careers."
Surfing Australia Chief Executive Officer Andrew Stark said the organisation was proud to release a commemorative coin as part of its 50th Year Anniversary.
"Surfing Australia has a rich history and it's an honour to have an important milestone as our 50th Anniversary etched in such a significant way," Stark said.
"We'd like to thank the Royal Australian Mint for their support and I'm sure the coin will not only be a valuable addition not just for collectors but an item for anyone interested in the history of Australian surfing."
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer The Hon Bernie Ripoll MP said celebrating this milestone on a coin reflected Surfing Australia's impact on what has become a national pastime.
"The Royal Australian Mint has created a coin that is uniquely Australian. The Royal Australian Mint coin designer, Aleksandra Stokic, paid particular attention to the style of Australian photography and focused the design on the rider, the wave and the board as well as created a wave tunnel to border the design," Mr Ripoll said.
The official launch of Surfing Australia's 50th Year Anniversary will be held on 21st November at the Freshwater Surf Life Saving Club in Sydney in commemoration of the day when Duke Kahanamoku introduced surfboard riding to Australia at Freshwater Beach in 1915.
The coin is available for sale for $9 from the Royal Australia Mint website.
For coin and packaging images please visit the Royal Australia Mint website media page
4 September 2012