Today in the Parliament of New South Wales I tabled a statement recognising the initiative of Kirsten Ansell in establishing 'Host-A-Surfer'. This is what I said:



I am pleased to have the opportunity to recognise and congratulate my local constituent Kirsten Ansell.

Kirsten has founded a not for profit organisation named 'Host-A-Surfer' to help support women's equality in the sport of surfing.

Sponsorship funding for female surfers is rare for young girls starting out in the sport. It can cost up to $20,000 each year to fund flights and accommodation to compete in the Women's Qualifying Series.

The Ansell family have been involved in crowd funding for the women's competition of Surfest, and this year they decided to open their home to female surfers offering them a bedroom, home cooked meals and support.

Given our love of surfing in the Hunter, Kirsten thought more people could help out by providing this type of assistance and so she founded the not for profit organisation 'Host-A Surfer'.

It is hoped that Host-A-Surfer will provide female surfers with the opportunity to participate in competitions that they may have previously been unable to attend due to financial constraints.

Our community needs entrepreneurial young women like Kirsten, and I am pleased to recognise her today.