Issue date
Sailability’ at Seaview, Wellington was recently nominated for, and won the ‘Sports and Leisure’ category for the Hutt City Wellington Airport Awards.
Kathryn Hunt, a ‘round the world’ sailor lives on ‘Cobolt’, a yacht temporarily at Seaview Marina, nominated us, and also did a lot of the research for the award.
Sailability Wellington set up its second base at Seaview two and a half years ago. It operates two days a week and some sailors then progress to do ‘Learn to Sail’ and join the race squad at our Evans Bay base.
The judges had obviously done their homework as the citation was incredibly accurate, and provided remarkable insight.
They rightly gave the ‘lion’s share’ of the credit to the volunteers who developed and run the programme.
John Rushton leads this group that includes: - Grahame Eathorne, Sue Eathorne, Ian Blair, Don Manning, Dean Apps, Peter Scott, Helen Rushton, Ray Manning from Lowry Bay Yacht Club. Other LBYC club members have supported us with donations, encouragement, and of course being at our fundraising dinners.
As well as the LBYC group, we have assistance from:- Eleonore van Der Reyden, Remy Thomassen, Richard Grocott, Darrell Smith, Mike Richards, Bob Millar, Steve Manson, John Tennant and Jane Gallagher. It mentioned that our efforts included much support, as well as practical and financial help from others, including Hookers Pacific and the many gaming trusts.
Even when we were told we had been selected as a finalist, we failed to take it too seriously. There are literally hundreds of sports clubs in the Hutt, doing great things! Sailability is delighted to have received this award. We are very aware that it provides recognition of our programme and will make fundraising for Sailability and LBYC so much easier.
Sailability Wellington thanks members of Lowry Bay Yacht Club. We trust they will be a club who hold their heads high! We couldn’t have done it without them!
Don Manning – Sailability Wellington Club Captain.
Editors Note: Sailability Wellington will now go forward to the regional finals in November.
