Local favourite Bronte Macaulay has put aside the heartbreak of losing her younger brother Jack on the weekend to contest the semi-finals of the Margaret River Pro.
Jack, a noted surfer himself, passed away suddenly, leaving the popular West Australian surfing family devastated.
It was unclear if Macaulay, who grew up in nearby Gracetown, was going to compete on Monday but she showed her bravery to suit up before falling to Brazilian Tatiana Weston-Webb in their last-four heat.
Older sister Laura was a former Championship Tour competitor while father Dave was a former professional surfer, ranked as high as third in the world in the late 1980s and early '90s.
The father of four now works as 27-year-old Bronte's coach and board shaper.
Aiming to make her maiden WSL final, Macaulay, ranked world No.11, posted an opening 6.00 to the cheers of a large hometown crowd.
But despite her best efforts in the two-metre conditions Macaulay was only able to add a score of 3.00 as her Brazilian opponent advanced to the final.
Weston-Webb, who will move up to second in the rankings, nailed the highest score of the heat with a 7.15 for a combined 12.27.
