Dunsborough surfer/sailor/story teller Thea McDonald-Lee, is a freelance journalist, television producer and the Creative Director of MOPS Media. She has worked on numerous campaigns as a video editor, writer, and media manager, and now works in television around the globe.
Thea. “Looking back on the year I dubbed, Flexi Pass, I’m reminded once again of the power of giving it a go! There’s no way I would have ended up in these places chasing that dream if I hadn’t talked to strangers, asked for help, slept in airports, was happy to live on baked beans and just gave it a go. The people who helped me along the way in 2014 are sealed in my memories of the greatest generosity of strangers. A wonderful lady called Michelle who I met on a sailboat on Sydney Harbour one afternoon offered me to stay at her house in Fiji and that trip was the start of writing for Tracks magazine. A father of one of the WQS girls said sure, I could stay at his place in California for the Trestles comp as we sat drinking a coffee watching the Swatch Pro in France. A chance meeting with Lee-Ann Curren during afternoon beers on that same France trip ended the Flexi Pass year staying in the Roxy house overlooking Pipeline when Medina won, playing ukulele with Tom Curren. To this day, it’s still how I live my life. Ask! Be kind. Hustle. Work hard. Be open. And whenever you can afford more than just baked beans, give back! “
Salty Lips is a blog about girls who surf and travel. In 2015 they posted a talk story on Thea’s travels.
Extract 2015 Salty Lips Feature: Meet Thea McDonald-Lee. See the link to full interview at the bottom of this post.
This Sydney-born lass spent the majority of her teens in the wild Scottish Highlands before packing up her bag and setting off on her journey of discovery. Her first stop was Sri Lanka as an English teacher, where a chance encounter with a surfing duo set her on a different path, the one of ocean waves and surf stoke. Next came England’s surf capital Newquay (yes, there are waves there, and a vibrant surf scene). Then taking her new-found passion a step further, she moved back to her birth country to study Surf Science in wild and beautiful WA [Western Australia]. The world exploration continued and finally her passions crystallised; “The Womens World Tour” blog was born, her writing was published by Tracks Magazine and what comes next … who knows, but the ocean holds the key.
Photos courtesy of Salty Lips
2014 Thea crossing the trestles at Trestles California. Photo by Hendo.
2014 Welcome to the Womens World Tour back to Cloudbreak in Fiji. Photo by Blair Monk.
2014 Cameraman “Gordo The Great & Thea. Just some of the cameramen/women who work tirelessly every World Tour pro event”. Photo Maui Nalu.
2013 You can’t not fall in love with Honolua Bay Hawaii. Photo by Keith Keahi.
2013 Thea drawing lines in the Mentawais. Photo by John Barton.
Click on link to view full interview 2015 Salty Lips Feature: Meet Thea McDonald-Lee.
Thank you to Emma Gibbons, creator of Salty Lips, for sharing Thea’s interview, and to Thea for sharing her adventures with us.
——————————————-
