After more than two decades of breaking down gender barriers and inspiring Australia’s current rich crop of women pro surfers, Layne Beachley has added a special honour to her collection.

The seven-time world champion has been appointed an Officer in the Order of Australia (AO), the highest award given for contribution to sport in this year’s Australia Day honours.

“I’ve always wanted a chest to pin it on, now I’m getting a medal,” Beachley said, with typically down-to-earth humour.

“I’ll pin it to my pec.”

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The most successful female surfer of all time, 42-year-old Beachley was also recognised for her services to charity, and as a mentor for women in sport.

Beachley started surfing as a four-year-old in the 1970s and grew up perfecting her craft at Sydney’s Manly beach.

Beachley set the bar high for Australia’s current crop of women surfers, like Stephanie Gilmore (pictured) and Tyler Wright. Photo: Getty

As the only girl in the water, she endured harassment and intimidation from men who didn’t think women belonged in the line up.

“It is the most appropriately named beach in the world – I refer to it as Man Town,” Beachley said.

“It taught me to stand up and fight. I had to, otherwise I’d paddle in with tears in my eyes and my tail between my legs.”

That experience inspired her to set up the Aim for the Stars Foundation in 2003, which has supported more than 400 girls with high ambition.

She also set out to nurture the talents of female surf prodigies with the Beachley Classic, her own world tour surf competition, which ran annually from 2006-2012 at Dee Why Beach.

“I was proud of the fact that I was able to create the richest women’s stand-alone event in the world,” she said.

It was there that 2014 world title runner-up Tyler Wright burst onto the scene in 2008 as a wildcard winner at just 14 – the youngest-ever tour event victor.

When Beachley was the world No. 2 surfer at 22-years-old, she was also working four different jobs to support herself.

“Those were some of the days when I wanted to quit,” she said.

She says now, with prize money closer to parity and better sponsorship deals, the sport is more viable for women.

And Beachley is confident six-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore can smash her women’s titles record, and may even eclipse Kelly Slater, who has a record 11 men’s world crowns.

“She won her sixth world title at the same age that I won my first,” Beachley said.

“A testament to a good teacher is that their student surpasses them. I think I gave her too much intel.”

Other women picking up honours are football pioneer Heather Reid, sports broadcaster Elaine Canty and basketball coach Carrie Graf, who have been appointed Members (AM) of the Order of Australia.

Olympic medallist Rachel Sporn was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her contribution to basketball and the community.