Granny Grommets connect women far beyond the waves

Source : ABC NEWS

It’s a crisp winter morning as the sun rises over the ocean and a group of older women laugh as they catch waves on their bodyboards.

They’re members of a newly formed Granny Grommets group at North Haven on the New South Wales Mid North Coast, sparking a surge of interest.

“It brings back my youth, and I feel so free in the ocean,” said 70-year-old Annie Milne, the group’s founder.

The first Granny Grommets group, for women aged 50 and over, was started about 26 years ago at Albany on Western Australia’s southern coast, gradually spreading across Australian and overseas shores.

Ms Milne created the North Haven group after moving to the area, having been part of the Newcastle Granny Grommets and was surprised by the number of older women seeking connection while staying active.

“I was inundated. There’s nearly 200 on the Facebook page already, and it’s been only a few weeks,” she said.

“Quite a few of the ladies I’ve spoken to are relatively new to the area. It’s much harder to connect with people in our age group as we don’t have connections with kids, school or sport.

The group’s Kit Poole said it had strengthened her social network.

“I’m new to the community so it allows me to meet more people,” she said.

“It’s fitness, fun and friendship … watching the sun come up, and sometimes we see whales and dolphins.”

Stephanie McMahon had never surfed before she joined the group, having moved to the area from the Hawkesbury region.

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“I thought what a great way to meet other like-minded women that don’t feel like they are too old to get amongst it and have a bit of fun,” she said.

Sharon Taylor has also signed up. So far she has kept her feet on dry sand, but plans to change that.

“I have a fear of the ocean,” she said.

“I am going to make it my goal to overcome my fear and put a wetsuit on and buy a board and get in there”.

Connecting women of all ages

Rebecca Olive is a vice-chancellor’s senior research fellow at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology who has conducted extensive feminist studies on the role of women’s recreational sport and leisure in society.

Her 2025 research paper investigated how water sports can help build communities and meaningful friendships.

She said she was “thrilled” to see the continued success of Granny Grommets groups Australia-wide, which also created a place for older women rediscovering their own interests after raising children.

“We often see women come back to physical activities as they age and … there’s definitely an interest in these very playful, fun activities that are really immersive, literally in this case, in the ocean,” she said.

“You don’t have to be good at it to enjoy it.

She said the Granny Grommets were also helping break down stereotypes about older women’s abilities.

“It may be the first opportunity the women have had to access surfing in this way,” she said.

Dr Olive said outdoor surfing and swimming groups also fostered greater care for the natural environment.

She said that was evident in Melbourne where outdoor swimming groups, including the Williamstown Jellyfish, regularly converged at Port Phillip Bay.

Women in their sixties and seventies were also helping lead conservation initiatives there.

“They are getting scientists down to talk about how to take better care of that area. So spending time there has shown them this whole other part of this place they live,” she said.

Back at North Haven, the Granny Grommets group is surging forward with plans for related social catch-ups.

“I love it. Joining Granny Grommets was a game changer for me,” Ms Milne said.

“I couldn’t imagine my life without it now.”