Vanuatu teenagers Anisi Mania and Zaridah Taleo will be able to showcase some of their natural talent when they participate in one of Australia’s biggest high schools surfing events next week.
Mania, 12, and Taleo, 14, flew out of Port Vila with other colleagues today in what is their first and probably not their last overseas trip to participate in the Newcastle Surfest at Mereweather Beach.
Twelve year old, Methusarah Kalran is expected to join the team on the weekend pending her visa approval.
The girls will participate in the Maitland and Port Stephens Toyota High Schools Team Challenge.
The Secretary of Vanuatu Surfing Association, Stephanie Mahuk said the association’s involvement in Surfest is predominantly focused on offering local surfers, particularly from the rural villages, exposure to a different culture via travel, which they otherwise might not have the opportunity to experience.
“They will be the only Pacific island team, being our second team of girls ever to compete at Surfest and for all the girls, their very first time to travel to Australia with an opportunity to meet and greet professional surfers on the World Surfing League 2017 tour,” Mahuk said.
She added that Surfest is one of Australia’s top surfing festivals incorporating a wide range of surf events held in Newcastle during February each year.
“The Maitland and Port Stephens Toyota High Schools Team Challenge sees high schools teams form more than 50 metropolitan and regional high schools throughout the state come to Newcastle for the biggest high schools surfing event in NSW,” Mahuk said.
The Surfest will be held from February 11 – 26, 2017.
The Vanuatu Surfing Association (VSA) has had the privilege of being invited to participate in the event since 2012 to showcase the developing talent of surfers in Vanuatu.
As for the girls, Mahuk said they have been surfing for about two years and they have excelled in performance with their outstanding natural talent.
The VSA has dedicated the past year and this year to vigorously driving its vision to seeing more women and girls surfing.
“These three girls and every girl/woman who now surfs are a testament of the success of our women's program addressing the gender inequality in Vanuatu by empowering women through surf demonstrating that regardless of surf being a male dominated sport, they can aspire to surf, achieve that skill and excel notwithstanding their gender. This is a powerful message for women and girls that we hope they will apply to their lives and change the landscape where they are currently marginalized,” Mahuk said.
Photo by Vanuatu Surfing Association. Team Vanuatu at the airport in Port Vila