Isabel Letham surfed with Duke Kahanamoku during his famous 1915 demonstration at Freshwater Beach in Sydney.
Kahanamoku, the Hawaiian Olympic swimming champion, was visiting Australia and demonstrated Hawaiian-style surfing using a large wooden board. Letham, then a teenager, joined him for a tandem ride after helping with the event and became closely associated with the historic demonstration.
The ride helped introduce a wider Australian audience to Hawaiian surfing techniques. Kahanamoku’s visit is often cited as a major moment in the development of Australian surfing culture.
Letham later became a swimming instructor and physical-education teacher. Accounts of the demonstration sometimes vary in small details, but her participation with Kahanamoku at Freshwater Beach is a firmly established part of Australian surfing history.