Max McGillivray, 16, was selected to represent Australia in the 2025 International Surfing Association World Junior Surfing Championships in Peru.
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One might wonder why Seymour is backing a teen surfer from the Northern NSW coast.
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At just 16, Max McGillivray, who began surfing a decade ago, was selected to represent the country in the 2025 International Surfing Association World Junior Surfing Championships.
In December, Max will be packing his bags and board, and heading to Peru to live out his passion.
“I started when I was six years old because I loved the ocean and surfing new waves,” he said.
“It’s really a dream come true. I’ve dreamt of going to worlds from a very young age.
“I want to go get the gold for Australia and be world champion.”
While Max isn’t local to Seymour, he comes from a family name that is prevalent in town.
His mum, Katrina Davey, was born in Seymour, as were her siblings and mum.
“After the Vietnam War, Dad returned to Puckapunyal and found Mum. John and Irene had Seymour Mitre 10 for nearly 30 years,” Ms Davey said.
“I went to St Mary’s until Year 10, then worked and travelled before going back to Seymour and working the nursery at Mitre 10 for four years.
“In 2003, I travelled north and found Evans Head, where I found work, friends and later my husband, Mick. Mick is a fisherman who worked away a lot, but once we decided to marry and start a family, we started our own business, Evans Head Fishing Charters.”
Max’s mum, who hails from Seymour, said she was blown away by the support the local community had shown her family.
The family’s Seymour roots have led to Max’s story being spread around the town.
After Max was selected for the championships, local business owner Janelle Puppa, of Janelle Puppa Real Estate, created a fundraiser for the family to support them with their journey to Peru.
With a goal of $10,000, the fundraiser, as of Friday, October 3, had already raised a significant $2000 after only having been open since September.
Ms Davey said she was amazed when she found out that a fundraiser had even been created.
“When Janelle set up the mycause(online fundraiser) for Max, I was blown away,” she said.
“Janelle and I grew up together and have been friends for over 35 years. I still visit and often catch up with friends and family. What she has done for Max is outstanding.
“We are so humbled by the response it created in Seymour and Evans Head. We would like to send a massive thank you to our Seymour friends and families, and locals in both towns who have donated.”
The championships will take place from December 5 to 14, and with the date rapidly approaching, Max is putting “hours on end each day” into surfing, strength training, acrobatics, physiotherapy and much more.
“I hope to be the world champion in December and keep training hard to get on the World Surf League,” he said.
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