“A model for the world” - Sailability NSW to celebrate first ten

							“A model for the world” - Sailability NSW to celebrate first ten
years of enjoying “freedom on the water – regardless of ability”

In December, Sailability NSW, the peak organisation for sailors with disabilities, will mark its
first ten years, a period of remarkable growth, fostering and facilitating “freedom on the
water regardless of ability”.

Sailability NSW had its beginnings at Gosford in March 1995, when Denis Critchley and
other sailors with disabilities, envisaged how they could be integrated into the broader
sailing community. The dream became a reality for the group when they started sailing
yachts off Denis’ private pier. The Gosford sailors would later agree to relinquish the name
‘Sailability NSW’, so that a state-wide umbrella organisation could develop under that name.

In April 1995, Jackie Kay became involved with Sailability, following a presentation at a
Technical Aids for the Disabled seminar. At that time, Jackie was a recreation officer at
Royal Ryde Rehabilitation Centre. At the same seminar, Chris Mitchell, a Melbourne-based
sail-boat designer and builder, and Sydney-based scientist, lecturer and paraplegic, Dr Phil
Vardy demonstrated the first servo-assisted Access Dinghy. Like Jackie Kay, other
participants at this seminar were captivated by the potential for Access Dinghies to empower
sailors with disabilities. These people and others would become key players in the
development of Sailability NSW.

The first Sydney Come & Try Day was held on May13, 1995. Participants gathered at
Dobroyd Aquatic Club to witness the freedom people with disabilities can enjoy when sailing.
Landscaping business owner Neil Anderson organized the day after he contacted Phil Vardy
to seek ‘an impossible project’ as part of a human development course that he was
undertaking at that time.

On December 21, 1995, Sailability NSW was registered as an incorporated association. In
1996, Neil Anderson became President of Sailability NSW. Sailability Gosford and Sailability
Dobroyd became its first branches. Ten years later, there are 23 branches of Sailability
NSW with some 48 branches or groups around Australia - the world’s highest per capita
participation in disabled sailing.

One of the major contributors to the development of Sailability in NSW was Allan Jones,
founding Commodore of Sailability Pittwater. Supported by John Gordon and Allan’s wife
Jan, this fledgling branch took Sailability beyond its own base by providing sailing
opportunities to members of the Spastic Centre as well as students from special schools.
Jones was honoured in 2005 with an Order of Australia Medal for outstanding services to
sailing for persons with a disability. (Terry Peek, President of Sailability ACT, was also in
2005 honoured with an OAM for his unstinting contribution in the same field).
While Sailability NSW began 10 years ago, its genesis dates back to late 1993, when Dr Phil
Vardy started the Sydney-to-Hobart Challenge for the Disabled, a Sydney-based ocean
racing organisation that later incorporated as Sailors with disABILITIES. With David Pescud,
it made its name competing in blue water classics and providing keel-boat sailing
opportunities for people with disabilities.

At the national level, Sailability was first established in 1991 by Victorian Yachting Council
CEO Campbell Rose, whose father, Dr Alan Rose, became the first National Chairman. This
was about a decade after Sailability (UK). In 1992, Sailability Victoria commenced, with a
modest program operating at Albert Park Lake.

Following a 1994 conference of the Australian Yachting Federation (now Yachting Australia),
it was decided that Sailability Australia should be established as a committee of the AYF,
and that state Sailability programs should be set up as committees of the state yachting
associations. Phil Vardy became Chairman and later National Coordinator of Sailability
Australia, a program to facilitate sailing for people with disabilities. Apart from three months
as a Churchill Fellow studying disabled sailing in North America, Europe and Australia,
Vardy worked at AYF full-time from 1995 until 2000.

Under the patronage of around-the-world sailor Kay Cottee AO, Sailability grew strongly in
Australia. By the end of 1995, there were Sailability organisations in ACT, NSW, Qld, SA,
TAS, Vic and WA - all organisations were built on grass roots determination to bring the joy
of sailing to Australians with disabilities.

From Australia, Sailability has extended to 13 other countries to bring the total to 16 national
Sailability organizations. Members of Sailability NSW were instrumental in setting up many
of these organizations, based on the policy of building support via disability networks, thus
making the Australian way a model for similar organizations around the world.

Sailability NSW is a member of D-Sport (formerly the NSW Sports Council for the Disabled),
is affiliated with Yachting NSW and has had a long-term relationship with NSW Maritime.
Rotary International has been a major contributor to development in NSW, providing support
at virtually every branch. In addition, the NSW Boating Industry Association has designated
Sailability NSW as its official charity for the Sydney International Boat Show. President of
Sailability NSW is Neil Anderson and patron is round the world sailor David Adams.

Sailability NSW is one of eight independent state or territory organizations under the
umbrella of Sailability Australia, a committee of Yachting Australia. This in turn, is part of the
world-wide Sailability organization, known as Sailability World.

The national organization, Sailability Australia, was re-formed in 2004, with former Yachting
Australia President Bruce Dickson AM as Chairperson. A new committee of delegates was
nominated by each state yachting association, with Yachting Victoria’s David Staley as
national coordinator. Sailability member Maryanne Evans was recently appointed NSW
delegate.


Graeme Adam, PR, Sailability NSW, (0423) 741 681 graemeadam@sailability.org