Dear Mr Blanch,
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It is with both great amazement and disappointment that I have learnt in yesterday’s Great Lakes Advocate newspaper that the speedboats are being axed from the annual Fred Williams Boaties Reunion and Forster Keys Family Fun Day – weekend.
As an avid powerboat enthusiast and world water ski speed record holder, my family and I, crew and friends have been travelling down from the Gold Coast to this event every year since its inception, and cannot for the life of me understand why it seems that the local Forster Keys Progress Association has decided to go in a different direction and in the name of progress I might add.
Please correct me if I am wrong, or if I am way out of line in my understanding of basic Progress Association business economics and how every other Progress Association models in Australian cities and towns serve the greater community and survive by promoting their area.
With respect, surely Progress Association president, Tony Calladine realises and is educated enough to see, in the name of progression of course, what the vast majority of last year’s 10,600 attendee’s actually came to see , the family sport of powerboats past and present.
This event has been campaigned and nationally advertised personally by long time, and proud’ Forster local and international water ski manufacturer, Fred Williams.
He has tirelessly, over the years contacted past and present power boaties, fellow competitors, friends, families and associated business’s in the powerboat world to attend this now fantastic event, a true spectacle of Australian power boating history for locals and visitors to see and enjoy with boats ranging up to 60 plus years old attending from around Australia.
It’s just plain commonsense for Mr Calladine to admit that last year’s crowd numbers speak for themselves.
The powerboats are the main drawcard.
As you are aware, this would have been Fred Williams 10th year in promoting this event in the Forster area, and while over that long period of time the event was financially benefiting local business, clubs, motels/hotels/accommodation houses, restaurants, etc… an Amazing effort.
There was approximately. 55 boats attending this family event last year with their families, again with the help of Fred Williams and Mid North Coast Speedboat Club’s Rhonda Wojcikewycs.
There would have been in excess of 100 boats and their associated families and crews attending from around Australia, a spectacle for Forster indeed.
How is this not progress for the association and its members really amazes me, not to mention financial gain for other Forster/Tuncurry business’s that may not be members of this association.
Would you kindly inform me who holds the current district approval for this annual event and for how long this approval is in place for .
It would be a real shame if the current holder of the DA only has a short time to run whilst killing the event of its star attraction in its 10th year, wouldn’t it ?
By popular demand, let’s hope the Progress Association comes to its senses and reinstates the power boaters and their families to the event Fred started for Forster.
Grant Torrens,
Sovereign Islands (Qld)