Why Port Macquarie’s ‘Gidget’ loves wave dancing

FROM an early age, Donna Liver has had an affinity for the ocean and surf – as well as for dancing.

Donna and her six siblings grew up close to the beach, with swimming, sun, and sand a regular part of life.

At 14, Donna got her first surfboard, a second-hand Bob Brown.

Accompanied by her school friends, she went to Nobbys Beach, away from the boys, to learn to surf.

“We were all self-taught and, of course, listened to the music of the time on a portable boom box,” she recalls.

Donna has been surfing since then and has competed in several competitions, both locally and at Bondi Beach, where she lived and gave birth to her eldest son.

Competition is just a small part of Donna’s love affair with surfing.

She prefers the freedom of surfing the fresh, clean waters of Port Macquarie, on Birpai Sea Country, while still raising her youngest son.

“Understanding the local tidal features, rips, and currents, is a surfer’s unofficial role as a lifeguard,” she said.

“Helping others navigate the surf and ocean, which has involved a rescue or two, comes with the territory of being a surfer.”

During her formative years, Donna learned to dance with assistance from her mother, Jenny Gould, who was a dance teacher at the time.

She studied Classical Ballet, Jazz, and Tap, and began her instruction in Physical Culture in 1976, aged eight, when a club formed in Port Macquarie.

Donna continues to practise “physie” and yoga with the founding teacher of Port Physie and Dance, Heather Elderidge.

This year, the club is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Donna’s connection to the ocean extends to her roles within the National Surfing Reserves, and as secretary of the Port Macquarie Surfing Museum.

This is where she has earned the affectionate nickname, “Gidget”.

Her involvement with the surfing museum strengthens her connection to Port Macquarie’s surfing history, which dates to 1912.

Donna was heavily involved in the World Surfing Conference 2026, held earlier this year on the Gold Coast.

Eighty international delegates took part in promoting, preserving, protecting and conserving our waterways, beaches and oceans for generations to come.

“As a practising nurse, part of my obligation is to protect our natural environment and be aware of the health consequences of environmental degradation,” she said.

Donna advocates for initiatives that reduce environmentally harmful practices, to promote health and wellbeing.

She was also part of the Enabled Reference Group, which recently advocated for beach matting at Town Beach to make the surf accessible to all.

The matting will be installed for the local Bird Rock Memorial Surf Classic, which has been held since 1981, and is on again between 29-31 May at Rainbow Beach, Bonny Hills.

Surfing gives Donna and many others the freedom to enjoy a fresh, clean, invigorating sport, while respecting its variable waves, rips, tides, and currents.

“I’m stoked to be able to dance on the waves and am excited to share this experience and feeling with others,” she told NOTA.

By Bill HARROW