Young surf talent rises to top in nationals

Illawarra Sports High School is riding a wave of national success after taking the win in the under 19 boys MR Shield (Schools) title at the Australian Junior Surfing Titles 2025.

Under 18s Thirroul surfer Taj Air and under 16s Austinmer surfer Ashton Mekisic competed in the prestigious MR Shield, leading ISHS to victory on home sand against the top young surfers from across the country from November 18 to December 5.

School surf coach David Hyslop says the results are testament to the calibre of surfers coming out of the area. 

''It was a really impressive week. All the kids performed incredibly, they all should be super proud,” David says.

“You’re competing against some renowned schools on the Gold Coast that have produced world champions. It just shows the dedication the boys have put in and the commitment to the program at Illawarra Sports High. Getting results like that is incredible.”

The success wasn’t limited to the boys’ team. Illawarra Sports High’s under 19 girls MR Shield team (Lani Cairncross and Alice Hodgson) excelled, securing second place nationally. 

Individually, the school’s talent was on full display, with five star athletes – Ruby Neill, Lani Cairncross, Alice Hodgson, Ashton Mekisic and Taj Air – all competing for the national title in their divisions. An impressive four out of the five young surfers came out equal third in Australia.

Geoff Latimer, talented surfing program co-ordinator at Illawarra Sports High, says the surfing talent in the Illawarra at the moment is second to none. 

''We can see from the results over the past week that the future is bright for surfing coming out of the Illawarra and South Coast region," says Geoff.

The Illawarra Sports High School surfing program started almost 15 years ago, helping talented young surfers hone skills during their high school education. The athletes train once a week through the program, working on technical skills and scenario-based training ahead of competitions, but much of their development is fostered by community support outside of school hours. 

Ruby Neill from Kiama Downs competed in the semi-final under 15 girls division and secured national third place at McCauley’s Beach at Thirroul early on the morning of Friday, December 5. The dedicated young surfer joins her friends and Jones Beach Boardriders in the water almost every day.

"I like how I can go surfing with all of my mates, and it's just a good thing to bring us all together," Ruby says.

"I just find it so peaceful. When I go surfing, it just takes all my stress away from school and stuff, and it's just fun."

Ruby’s success reflects a rising number of local girls and young women supported by their communities in the Illawarra to reap the benefits of surfing as a healthy activity and achieve as athletes in the sport.

Grant Neill, Ruby's dad, said her involvement was ''an identity for her, a sense of community''.

''She's got a great little surfing community where they're just all cheering each other on, really supportive of each other, and there for each other," Grant said.

“She's surfing seven days a week – just every single day, and that promotes a healthy lifestyle. She's eating healthier because of it, she's training harder. We surf, we live close to the beach, she and her friends and the community surf – it's just a sense of community that keeps her surfing.”

With the national titles complete, ISHS surfing students are looking forward to new opportunities in 2026, hoping to achieve even better results at the Australian Interschools Surfing Championships in May.

“There's always room for improvement and we'll keep working towards it, striving to get better to be the best version they can of themselves,” says Geoff. ''Sometimes there's the dangling carrot of that trophy but the results are good indications that what we've been working on is starting to show fruition.''