SAFA Skysailor Magazine

2 SKY SAILOR November | December 2019 A ugust, September and October are usually very busy times for all our State Associations and Clubs around Australia. The new flying season begins, and our many volunteers are busy on hills around the nation, assisting with site management and providing Safety Officer and Senior Safety Officer expertise, whilst the various State and Club Committees are engaged in preparing for and conducting Annual General Meetings for their various Associations. This involves annual reports, preparing financial statements including auditors reports where appropriate, completing annual returns for the various state based Office of Fair Trading entities, getting bank signatories updated when new office bearers are elected and the administrative list seems to go on and on. Add to that the organising of site working bees, equipment maintenance workshops, including parachute re-packs, and the various competitions that take place and it’s a demanding time. All of this work is sometimes taken for granted. We all want to fly, but the truth is, it takes a lot of work to keep everyone flying and our sport would absolutely struggle for survival without the cease- less efforts of volunteers across the nation. So in this President’s Update, I want to give a huge shout out to all our volunteers. If you’ve put up your hand to assist in some way, at some time, then you need to know that your willingness to serve is hugely appreciated. And yet whilst this work is invaluable, most volunteers are not well known outside of their immediate area of opera- tion, oft times working passionately and diligently, year after year, for the benefit of our sport and our members. They do this not seeking anything, happy to be involved and content to contribute for the benefit of the sport. Whilst it’s not possible to name all volunteers around the country in this article, it is possible to highlight a few individuals whose understated presence and ongoing work symbolises that of their many volunteer colleagues across Australia. Rick Williams from Western Australia is one of the originals who has been in the sport since its beginnings. He moved to the west in the early 80s and has been a continuous volunteer in WA clubs, the HGFA Committee of Management and the State Association HGAWA. He is always ready to assist newbies and always one of the first to pitch in when help is needed. He is currently the President of WA’s Hillflyers Club, has held several executive roles in HGAWA over the years and is currently its Treasurer. One of the many who just keep on producing for the sport year upon year. David and Karen Cookman from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland have made an extraordinary contribution to the sport and their local club since the early 70s. David is a HG and WSM CFI. Karen isn’t a pilot, but together they have served continuously on Club Committees, often in executive positions over many years. It is impossible to briefly outline the extent of their contribution over decades, but they live and breathe sports aviation and they’re always the first in line to provide any assistance that benefits the local club and its members. They’ve also been extraordinarily generous in donating and facilitating the use of their own resources for the benefit of the sport. John Reynoldson from Victoria, is another 30 plus year hang gliding veteran of the sport. John saw a need to help all pilots gain better weather in- formation and he subsequently built and installed, at his own cost, a number of weather stations at Victorian east coast sites. His work saw him receive a Victorian State Association award after being nominated by the Sky High Paragliding Club. He also spent two years successfully negotiating the site agreement for the Flinders Monument site and constructing and installing the gates that provide access to it. Helen McKerral, a hang glider pilot from South Australia, has been a passionate and positive advocate for women’s participation in our disci- plines and has, in past years, organised Women with Wings events at different locations. She has served as a Safety Officer, is renown for providing invaluable assistance to pilots on the hill, especially new pilots, has regularly organised safety meetings and workshops, and together with her partner and current SAHPGA Committee member, Geoff Fisher, contributes significantly to our sport in SA. Sandy Thompson from NSW is regarded as a par- agliding legend along Sydney’s Northern Beaches and in the Northern Rivers Region of NSW where he is now based. A Senior Safety Officer, he has served as a Committee member, President and Secretary of the Northern Beaches/Sydney HG&PG Club and as the head of their Safety Committee. He was one of those instrumental in driving the Long Reef site development agreement with local councils. However, it’s his practical, and eminently sensible flying knowledge, and his willingness and ability to pass it on and mentor countless numbers of fellow pilots, that puts his contribution on a higher level. It’s work of this nature that prevents mistakes and accidents, and in that regard it’s invaluable – and he’s been doing it for many years. This is just a very small snippet of some of the work from some of the quiet volunteers who do so much for our sport. For each of these individuals, there are many more around the nation who do the same or similar work. Our sport cannot exist without them and we want them all to know how much we appreciate what they’ve done and what they continue to do for us. by Paul Green President’s Update “I want to give a huge shout out to all our volunteers.” Photo: Steve Beilby