Surfing sisters chase cash

Twins Grace and Audrey Lane take time out on the beach at Kingscliff.

John Gass

TWO absolute treasures from Kingscliff, identical twin sisters Audrey and Grace Styman-Lane, will be surfing not only for honours but to raise funds for Life's Little Treasures when they compete in the Australian Surfing Championships at Coffs Harbour at the end of the month.

The Life's Little Treasures Foundation is an Australian charity founded in 2005 with the aim of providing support, friendship and assistance to families of children born sick or premature.

Having a child that is sick or premature can be a very traumatic roller-coaster of a ride for parents as was experienced by Rob Lane and Ann Styman-Lane when their twin girls were born nearly 17 years ago.

Grace and Audrey were born at 26 and a half weeks such was their desire to get into the world and spent many long weeks in hospital, fighting for their survival with their distraught parents anxiously watching on.

But it all worked out well in the end; the twins are now fit and healthy and certainly have not suffered any harm from the traumatic experience at the start of their lives.

No doubt their parents have told them about the drama surrounding their births so the girls are determined to raise $10,000 to help other "premmies and their parents" when they represent NSW in the under-19 and junior (under-18) divisions at the nationals.

"We are hoping to raise money by performing well at the championships ... how to do so is all explained on the website," said Audrey, or was it Grace?

The website is http://www.everydayhero.com.au/Premmysurfers - life's little treasures, what would we be without them!

Audrey and Grace have commenced their Year 12 studies at Kingscliff High where both say they are "OK" students.

They are identical twins - Audrey wears an anklet so their friends can tell them apart - but once they start using their hands or feet on a surfboard, it is easy to discern who is who - Grace is a natural (right foot forward) while Audrey is a goofy (left foot forward).