A young skater caught in a police crackdown is back in the spotlight, 50 years later
The interview, the camera crew and the questions about the rollerskates.
The 69-year-old has been living a quiet and hidden life in Melbourne's inner suburbs.
But in the late 1970s, she was turning heads.
Almost 50 years later, her dormant fame has returned after an old video of her went viral.
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The ABC republishes archival stories on social media to revisit the best stories about Australians from the past.
Over the past few weeks, more than a million people have watched a social media post showing a young Jean rollerskating through Melbourne.
While many dream of having the kind of fame brought on by the likes of TikTok and Instagram, Jean was not after that at all.
"It's bizarre that they've clicked on it," she said.
"Who would have thought anybody would be interested in somebody on rollerskates from all those years ago?"
Rolling to fame
In 1977, ABC reporter Terry McMahon interviewed a young woman who was quite popular on the city streets of Melbourne.
She travelled around on rollerskates despite an active police crackdown that saw officers confiscating them from those they caught.
Skateboards and rollerskates were regarded as a public nuisance at that time.
Jean was 21 when she was interviewed about her rollerskating by the ABC in the late 1970s. ( ABC archive )
Jean was a 21-year-old college student whose studies and work revolved around the CBD, and a pair of rollerskates was her chosen mode of transport for 14 years.
With worn-out skates strapped onto the feet and her best outfit on, she zoomed past pedestrians, catching attention as she glided.
McMahon: What about when you're out on the street? Do people stare?
Jean Hopcraft: Yeah, they stare most of the time, but I don't take any notice of them.
McMahon: What about police?
Jean Hopcraft: No problems. Few years ago, with the skateboards, they clamped down, told me to take them off. But I put them on when I got around the corner … I won't give them away yet.
Looking back, she never expected her playful antics to turn her into a public figure.
"There was quite a bit of press because I [skated] for a long time, so they were very familiar with this girl just skating around the city," Jean said.
"Little snippets in the paper … newspapers reaching out to me.
"I just became part of the fabric of Melbourne."
This was the first time Jean watched the TV story produced by the ABC in 1977. ( ABC News: Danielle Bonica )
About the same time, Jean also featured on a daytime current affairs television program presented by Mickie de Stoop, which featured stories of pioneering women.
Yet underneath the energetic but nonchalant persona portrayed in printed columns and black-and-white photographs, Jean faced significant societal drawbacks.
Not fitting the mould
The 1970s were a very different time for women.
It was a period when career options were slim and freedom of expression, especially by clothing, could be frowned upon.
"I actually wanted to be a painter, a decorator like my dad but, in those days, women weren't allowed to do those sorts of jobs," Jean said.
"It was deemed not suitable for women."
Roller skating was a cheap and easy mode of transport for young Jean Hopcroft. ( Supplied )
Rollerskating was a cheap and easy mode of transport for a young Jean Hopcraft. (Supplied) Despite a police crackdown, Jean was spotted roller skating in popular spots in Melbourne's CBD. ( Supplied/ABC News: Danielle Bonica )
Despite a police crackdown, Jean was spotted rollerskating in popular spots in Melbourne's CBD. (Supplied/ABC News: Danielle Bonica) The local newspaper writes about Jean travelling through the city on a pair of roller skates. ( Supplied )
The local newspaper writes about Jean travelling through the city on her rollerskates. (Supplied)
Instead, she studied fashion and textile at the Emily McPherson College, which was known for its cookery and dressmaking courses.
Even within university walls, Jean didn't always stick to the status quo.
The queer community was her clique, and she wasn't afraid to break a few college rules — including the skating.
"I guess you'd call me a freak … because I didn't fit the mould," Jean said.
"Women couldn't wear trousers way back then. We had to get a petition together to see if women could wear pants and trousers.
"I got pulled over at school and almost expelled because they didn't like the idea of a woman skating.
"I stood up for what I believed."
'Classic Jean'
Over the phone from New York, Jean and her husband Peter Hoyland's daughter, Eliza Hoyland, wasn't surprised about her mother's sudden return to stardom back home.
"She's a very interesting person, my mum," Eliza said.
The ABC post was the first time Eliza found out her mother had ever been interviewed by the news outlet.
"I'm watching and I'm like, 'What in the world is this?'"
"I think I watched it like 20 times in a row."
Eliza Hoyland said she is in awe of Jean, who she thinks is the "best mum ever". ( Supplied: Eliza Hoyland )
For Eliza, a huge chunk of her mum's youth has been like scattered puzzle pieces waiting to be put together.
She said Jean had always assured the family that "there'll be nothing about her" on the internet.
"I googled her and this photo of her came up in her rollerblading look, and she's in this leopard skin suit," she said.
"My mum is very private and very timid, but then she has this huge life that [Dad and I] are always trying to creep in [on]."
One of Eliza's absolute joys was watching Jean rollerskate during a birthday celebration in 2023.
In 2023, Jean put her rollerskates back on in a rink in New York. ( Supplied: Eliza Hoyland )
At the Rockefeller Center, the rollerskater flaunted her self-taught skills like she never left the rink.
For Jean, it was all muscle memory.
"She was zooming around the rink and doing laps on my friends and like, 'Get out of the way!'" Eliza recalled.
"It's classic Jean. She's an icon."
Peter Hoyland said he's met strangers who recognise Jean from the viral clip. ( ABC News: Danielle Bonica )
Peter Hoyland, whose career in the music industry has introduced him to several notable artists, said it had been "fun" and "fantastic" to meet people buzzing about his wife's renewed popularity.
"I said, "Now you're the most famous person that I know,'" Peter said.
A friend even warned the couple about the possibility of Jean becoming an internet meme.
"Yes, I'm waiting for that," Peter said.
Jean Hopcraft enjoys reading books and gardening in her inner Melbourne home. ( ABC News: Danielle Bonica )
Jean will soon turn 70 and is now living a quieter life, enjoying her retirement.
She gardens, travels to the US to visit her daughter, and reminisces about her earlier days on her trusty skates.
"I didn't care," she said.
"I couldn't afford a car. I had my own ideas of what was right and wrong."
Always in awe of her mother and the hidden stories of her past, Eliza described Jean as a "wonderful human" with an amazing story waiting to be told.
"She's always going to be standing up for herself and the people around her," she said.
"I was just like, 'You haven't changed a bit. Yes, you might only wear black now, but you really are exactly the same.'"
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