Ingrid LeFebour Missing Woman Found for 'Point of Change' Surf Film
Ingrid LeFebour disappeared in 1976 on Lagundri Bay, Nias, Indonesia, while backpacking with Australian surfers. She contracted malaria, and while the remaining surfers left for Bali, she stayed behind and was later carried out of the village on a stretcher. Decades of rumors surrounded her fate, including suggestions that she had died and that headhunters might have been involved, with her head possibly buried under a bridge.
The story of LeFebour's disappearance and survival is explored in the documentary Point of Change, which examines the 1970s surf boom at Lagundri and its effects on the local community. The investigation was sparked in part by an elder on Nias who recounted the events and prompted further efforts to find LeFebour.
LeFebour ultimately woke in a clinic morgue, wrapped in a sheet, and escaped to seek help. She later traveled by rough ferry to Medan, trading a gold mesh cigarette box to pay for the ferry ride, before returning to Perth where she recovered from malaria, experiencing recurrences before full recovery.
LeFebour attended the Fremantle premiere of Point of Change, describing the experience as surreal and noting that attendees called her a legend. The film highlights how the influx of surfers in the 1970s brought radical changes and challenges to Lagundri and its local community.
