SAFA Skysailor Magazine

16 SKY SAILOR July | August 2020 C ompared to the eastern side of the country, the distance between WA sites can be big, but when you get there it’s usually worth the effort. Although the density of sites per kilometre of coast is much lower than on ‘The Other Side’, the sheer length of available coastline gives us wonderful flying spots in exotic locations: the Bunda Cliffs at Eucla – where you can fly back towards South Australia a very long way, delightful spots at Esperance, great reliable coastal sites at Albany and Denmark, Back Beach at Bunbury, a few coastal spots along the Perth metropolitan coast and Mt Bakewell – a cross-county site very close to the city. Heading north, there are some challenging little inland sites just out of Geraldton and a few little secret coastal sites up toward Kalbarri and beyond. Further north still, for those who fly with an engine, you can play about above the whale sharks at Ningaloo. As somebody who spent the first half of my flying career in NSW, I found some distinct differ- ences flying over here. The light seems brighter, bringing everything into sharper focus. The horizon is a long way away. The bushes are spikier; I learnt pretty quickly to always have some tea tree oil handy when camping at Shellys. And the air has a different mood entirely. For example, I’d never been hit on the head bymy own keel (before landing) until that day I decided to jump off Mt Bakewell in the middle of summer. That was the last time I flew inland without a parachute. Down Albany way, where the weather does whatever it bloody feels like, bizarre convergence events are relatively common and quite a number of people have had the surreal experience of ascend- ing ever higher, way out over the bay where there should not be any means of support at all. Not all of the places we fly are secured by site agreements, but the best of them are, and negoti- ating and keeping these agreements in place takes a bit of coordination. The peak body overseeing all this is the Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association of Western Australia Inc. (HGPAWA). The HGPAWA is the State representative body for the sports of hang gliding and paragliding (powered and unpowered) and weight-shift microlighting. As the Hang Gliders Association of WA (HGAWA) we have been in existence since the mid-1970s. Last year we updated our constitution to comply with the current WA Incorporated Associations Act, and took the opportunity to update our name. Membership of HGPAWA is free and open to all who support the objects and purposes of the Asso- ciation. It is a common misconception that joining SAFA, and being a resident of WA, automatically makes you a HGPAWA member. Besides not being allowable under the WA Incorporated Associations Act, we cannot really justify signing people up as members who may have no wish to be members or be bound by the rules of the association. To join, you simply need to submit a membership applica- tion form, available on our website. Funding HGPAWA receives most of its funding from the WA government in the form of a grant of $10,000 p.a. (currently). To maintain this funding, we are required to submit an annual plan of how we will spend the money, and an annual acquittal detailing how we have spent the money. HGPAWA is an affiliated Regional Association (RA) with SAFA and as such receives around $5000 p.a. in Regional Development Levies paid to SAFA by SAFA members residing in WA. The SAFA Affiliation Policy imposes specific requirements on all Regional Associations to carry out activities in support of SAFA’s objectives. In a way, it is a similar process to SAFA subcontracting some of its services to RAs, which are much better placed to provide these services locally. Where the money goes As with most RAs, it’s all about sites: Securing sites, keeping sites, developing and improving sites. We spend money on site leases (getting more expensive with time), building take off ramps, maintaining tracks and site facilities. We also spend money on competitions, first aid courses for safety officers, safety workshops, prac- tical activities such as parachute re-pack nights, and social activities. Flying in WA, and the role the HGPAWA plays in support Western Australia is a big state, and it offers some truly unique flying experiences. You can drive all day just to get to the next petrol station. by Peter South