Lynne Champion conqueror of mountains and canyons

Paula Xiberras

The name says it all, Lynne Champion is a champion in name and deed, a person who has managed to overcome obstacles to triumph in many situations that would have deterred or hindered most of us.

As a young girl, who grew up in relative poverty in Tasmania, Lynne went on to establish ‘Excessories’ an accessory store she ran in San Francisco for 12 years, now the store is a fully fledged boutique chain in Australia and Lynne has notched up a 25 year involvement in retail.

Lynne is based in Melbourne these days but continues to be a globetrotter, but for all that she retains a deep love of Tasmania, in fact when I ask her to nominate places in Tasmania she loves the most it is more or less an impossible task finding a place she doesn’t love!

Among her favourite places are Battery Point, Bicheno, the Huon Valley, Freycinet, Sandy Bay, Salamanca and the Midlands where some of Lynne’s aunts still reside. Lynne concludes Tasmania is a ‘special place’ and has only positive things to say about the people who ‘are uncomplicated’ and ‘not as superficial’ as people in other parts of Australia.

So much does Lynne admire Tassie that in April she will be accompanying a group of overseas guests to Tasmania for very special birthday celebrations.

Like other famous Tasmanians, Crown Princess Mary and Judith Durham, Lynne has links with Taroona. Why is the suburb so well represented by Tasmanian ladies on the world stage? Lynne has a lot of admiration for the suburb and especially for the progressiveness of Taroona high school with its ‘excellent and fun’ teaching methods. ‘The great teachers,’ says Lynne, were ”inspiring and fun. In addition she credits her time in Taroona for forming a firm circle of friends and admired the fact Taroona High was a co-ed school says Lynne, also gave it an advantage.

When Lynne and languages didn’t link she opted for woodwork and so became the only girl in the woodwork class and as the only girl was spoiled with extra assistance.

It was this solid education along with Lynne’s natural talent that has enabled her to create an amazing life, putting pen to paper with the book, and plans have been put into motion for a movie.

When we speak Lynne is literally getting together with her film team following a coincidental meeting. After watching an hour long ABC documentary on the Australian film industry Lynne met a film director in a restaurant.

Lynne gave him a copy of her book to read it on his plane journey and he asked her if she had thought about making the book into a film and it didn’t take long for plans to be penned.

With a keen business acumen Lynne plans to be involved in all parts of the realisation of the film, including budgeting and auditions, already she is impressed by the young actresses arriving for auditions. They have a commitment to the serious message of empowering women and addressing female emancipation in what she hopes to be a thought provoking as well as a funny movie.

But Lynne’s story is also the story about her companions, a coat, a sunny duck and Cosmo the dog. For some wonderfully witty writing see Lynne’s chapter narrated from the viewpoint of her sometimes misunderstood but much loved coat and the chapter narrated by her oft companion the wonderful, gentlemanly Sunny Duck. Cosmo is the present representative of a long line of dog companions and make no mistake says Lynne, Cosmo will most definitely have a cameo in the movie.

As well as working on her film Lynne has found that at her various book launches around Australia, people are coming to her asking for advice in setting up their own businesses and even though it is a time when Lynne is content to sit back on her achievements and enjoy the luxury and freedom of being in ‘a really wonderful place’ she is in high demand to be a mentor and Lynne has never shirked a challenge and so begins a new career.

It’s perhaps the cover picture of Lynne’s book that illustrates her story best with its combination of pure white cover of the woman that was once the little girl growing up in Tasmania. The splashes of red in the photo on Cosmo’s bow-tie and Lynne’s sharp shoes clearly show a red hot passion for life that has created her own business, conquered The Grand Canyon, had a career as a race car driver, mixed with the rich and famous and a guest at The Academy Awards which is an apt point to end on as Lynne’s story is fit to film and perhaps see a return invitation!

‘Champion Tales’ by Lynne Champion is out now.