This year marks fifty years since a group of curious players gathered in a South Melbourne park and threw their first Frisbees. In the five decades since, women have been at the heart of Australian disc sports as players, organisers, mentors, and pioneers.

To celebrate this milestone and the 2026 PDGA Women’s Global Event, we’re telling that story in a four-part series. Each week, we’ll share a new era – from the very first throws in 1976 to the thriving community we have today. Along the way, you’ll meet the women who built this sport, often as the only woman on the card, and the new generation who are making sure that’s no longer the case.

Be sure to follow the 50 Years of Flight campaign on Facebook for even more stories, photos, and celebrations as we honour half a century of disc sports in Australia.

Whether you’ve been playing for decades or you’ve never picked up a disc, this story is yours too. The 2026 WGE runs May 15–25, and every woman who shows up is writing the next chapter. Find your nearest WGE event on our website.

Before we dive in, we want to take a moment to thank everyone who has helped put this together. A project like this doesn’t happen without the people who capture and embody the spirit of our sport. A special thank you to Emilie Cameron, Cassie Sweetten, Gail P. Lynch, Tenyse Dark, Kingsley Flett (for his photography), and the many other photographers and historians, both known and unknown, whose images and stories help tell the story of Australian Disc Golf. Your contributions are what make something like this possible.

ERA 1 – The Beginning

1976 – early 1990s  ·  South Melbourne to the Rose Bowl

It was 1976, and Toltoys – the Australian company that had brought Hula Hoops to the country back in the sixties – had just licensed Frisbees from Wham-O. To launch them, they flew out two World Champions: Dan “Stork” Roddick and the late Jo Cahow, to undertake a promotional tour.

One of the promotional activities was an event in a park in South Melbourne. Along with many staff and their families, there were also quite a few people who had played disc before in the USA and Canada who shared their experiences, skills and enthusiasm, and who, in later weeks and months joined in to grow the sport.

Among the group was a young Toltoys employee named Gail P. Lynch.

As Gail says. “The first time I saw a disc (Frisbee©) fly, float and move through the air I was entranced; the flow of this piece of plastic was so elegant, with a seamless motion reminiscent of an eagle gliding through the sky – I was hooked.”

Her first throws were wobbly and all over the place. Then something clicked. A straight, spinning throw sailed to Jo Cahow. She repeated it. And again. “I felt the force and flow and the shared experience,” Gail recalls. “This and the experience of sharing the learning, doing, and fun with the whole group was captivating.”

Within months Gail was Treasurer of the brand-new Australian Frisbee Association. In 1980, Gail organised a promotional offensive from the Toltoys head office: Brian Vanallen, Mark Powers and Canadian freestyle specialist Laurie Dotto loaded up an old postie van and drove it across the country, putting on shows at schools, shopping malls and cricket matches.

That same year Gail won the Australian Women’s Overall title and earned a partly funded trip to the World Championships at the Rose Bowl in California. The Australian team jumped out of the player line-up together, like kangaroos, to a huge roar from a crowd of around 40,000. 

“Playing with the women in these events was, frankly, mind blowing,” says Gail. “There were so many of them, they were very skilled, and they were giving and friendly.”

Over the following five years Gail won five Australian Women’s Championships and represented Australia at the 1981 and 1982 World Championships, reaching the semi-finals in MTA in 1982.

Gail has continued to participate and work toward women and junior participation, including securing funding in the “Change Our Game” initiative 2022/23 to hold women’s social days, coaching clinics and “come ‘n trys”.

In 1990 Gail was awarded the Rob Hancock Memorial Award for outstanding Achievement in Flying Disc Sport. In  2018 she was  inducted into the Australian Disc Golf Hall of Fame in acknowledgement of her role in the beginning of the sport in Australia and her continued efforts to support women’s participation. She remains the only woman inducted. She was given  Life Membership of Melbourne Disc Golf Club in 2023.

A summary from Gail:

“Disc sports is where I have experienced and enjoyed friendship, fun, happiness, hard work, achievement and joy – it is a fulfilling passion. I have been fortunate to have been at the beginning of the “50 Years of Flight” journey and to continue my playing and involvement. As Dan (Stork) Roddick said in his happy birthday message to Australia, “You don’t quit playing because you get old, you get old because you quit playing.” The standout through all this time is the people, the camaraderie, the fun and enjoyment,  the sharing of the love of the game and that floating disc.”

Welcome to the very first edition of the Australian Disc Golf Newsletter!

This is a new initiative from ADG to keep our community informed about what’s happening across the sport nationally. We’ll be bringing you quarterly updates covering Board news, upcoming events, community highlights, and important announcements.

Have ideas? We’d love to hear from you. If you have feedback, story ideas, or something you’d like to see in a future edition, get in touch. We hope you enjoy the read.

We’ve covered how we protect our members, their health, and the integrity of our game. For our final post in this series, we’re looking at the “how-to” of fairness: the Complaints, Disputes & Discipline Policy (CDDP).

In any community, disagreements happen. The goal of this policy is to provide a clear, transparent, and independent process to resolve issues when they arise.

What is the CDDP?

The CDDP is the rulebook for how Australian Disc Golf handles reports of “Prohibited Conduct” under the other NIF policies. It ensures that everyone, no matter their role in the sport, is treated with respect and procedural fairness.

How Does It Work?

One of the biggest benefits of ADG adopting the AFDA’s framework is that we no longer have to police ourselves in a vacuum.

• Independent Assessment: Serious complaints (like discrimination or child safeguarding) are often managed or overseen by Sport Integrity Australia. This removes the risk of politics influencing the outcome.
• Clear Steps: The policy outlines a step-by-step process: from making a report and the initial evaluation to potential hearings and final decisions.
• Confidentiality: Every step is handled with the utmost respect for the privacy of everyone involved.

What About Local Disputes?

It’s important to note that the CDDP is designed for breaches of the National Integrity Framework. Personal “grumbles” or minor disagreements about a foot fault on the course are still usually handled by local clubs or the TD under the standard PDGA/ADG rules of play. The CDDP is there for the serious stuff that impacts the safety and integrity of our sport.

Your Voice Matters

A policy is only as good as the people who use it. If you see something that violates our Member Protection or Integrity policies, this document gives you the power and the protection to speak up. It ensures that your concerns will be heard by the right people, in the right way.

Wrapping Up the Series

Over the last month, we’ve looked at the four pillars of the National Integrity Framework. Together with ADG’s own supplementary Safeguarding Children & Young People Policy, these documents form a shield around our sport. By adopting these standards, Australian Disc Golf is ensuring that as we grow, we stay true to the values that made us pick up a disc in the first place: Fairness, Safety, and Respect.