Concord and Ryde Sailing Club in partnership with the Firebug Class Association has arranged through the Australian Sports Foundation to receive tax deductible donations to promote the sport of sailing. Funds raised will be used to provide training to interested young people and the programme will incorporate construction of Firebug Dinghies and learning to sail. The club will engage with the community to identify participants to join the program. While initial funding targets have been achieved, the club would like to hear from supporters willing to make donations.
Club Vice Commodore and delegate for the programme Ross Venner said, “We present young people with our great sport and, most importantly, with the skills underlying it. Use of tools is directly relevant in many jobs today, but far more jobs benefit from the skills and precision which are the staples of boatbuilding. The layers of the programme will be structured to engage participants over a period of several seasons and hopefully develop a lifelong commitment to the sport and in some cases the industry.
“Our Firebug dinghy fleet is the focus of the programme. They were designed to be built quickly and easily, yet to embody the essential elements of boatbuilding. Their small size allows Firebugs to be stored efficiently on their transoms yet with 4.5 sq metres of sail they have sufficient sail area to provide challenging racing for adults and graduates of our junior programmes.”
The club is ideally situated on the Parramatta River, within the City of Ryde. Ryde is also home to Meadowbank TAFE with its Boat Building School which may provide opportunities for participants to advance their skills with a view to entering an industry which employs 30,000 people across the nation. (Figure provided by Boating Industry Association.)
Details of the programme can be found at www.concordrydesailing.org.au/support-sailing-via-tax-deductible-donations.html
For further information regarding Firebug Dinghies go to
http://firebugdinghiesaustralia.weebly.com/
Concord and Ryde Sailing Club has a comprehensive racing programme running from September through to April. Each Saturday afternoon, a large number of dinghies take part in racing on the Parramatta River between Ryde Bridge and the Mortlake Ferry. These dinghies include Spirals, Tasars, NS14's, Herons, Sabots, Catamarans and Firebugs.
The club also has an active Cadet fleet and an Intermediate group who have completed a training programme and want to progress to afternoon racing.
Sailors of all skill levels are catered for, from beginners to state & national champions at this family friendly club located at Kissing Point Park, corner of Waterview Street and Yaralla Road Putney. The club has recently extended its club house and facilities and acknowledges the support of the Australian Sports Foundation.
For more information regarding the club please contact the club Secretary Sandra Donovan (02) 9816 5468.
