Le-Ba Boardriders usher in youth-led era with new leadership

THE Lennox-Ballina Boardriders Club has injected youth into its leadership team, aiming to develop the next generation of surfers in the region.

Club president Harry Fettell has been joined by vice-president Zac Wightman and club captain Mikey McDonagh as the newly elected management team at Le-Ba.

The trio, all in their mid-20s, form one of the youngest leadership groups at a boardriding club in Australia. Having grown up together in Lennox Head, Wightman was a standout in the junior ranks and now works with a surf company, while McDonagh competes on the world stage in professional tour events.

Fettell, 25, hopes to bring skills from his background in business and e-commerce while focusing on strengthening the club’s community role.

“We want to build a positive culture around the club and pass that on to the younger ones who can then take over from us one day,” he said.

“We’re looking at raising awareness around mental health and creating a fresh atmosphere.

“The older guys at the club have steered us in the right direction, we can still lean on them for support.

“We want to create something meaningful that brings the community together.”

The group were elected after a successful handover at the clubs Annual General Meeting in January

Its first club round in February was a resounding success with a record 176 surfers competing across the weekend.

“We took on a bit of a Donald Trump style campaign at the AGM with our ‘Make LE-Ba Great Again’ caps,” Fettell said.

“It got plenty of attention and the club were happy with our proposal to take over.

“We feel like we need to match that energy from the first club round for the rest of the year now.”The trio called on its connections to run the successful Dan Hosking memorial event last weekend.

He was a surfer from the same group of friends who died suddenly in 2020.

Raffle prizes for the event included a signed pair of boots from NRL star Harry Grant, a helicopter ride, surfboards, as merchandise from the Parramatta Eels and Wallabies.

“The Dan Hosking memorial has the potential to grow into a massive event and there’s no reason why it can’t go on for another 20 years,” Fettell said.

“We’ve had Yeti come on board as a club sponsor and hopefully we’re building something that everyone wants to be part of.”