i had the same problem 2 weeks ago. I tore my LE and normaly wouldnt dream of sending my kite to anyone but neil cos he is byfar the best!! but like you said he isnt in town at the moment (i think he is on holidays)
my second choice for getting my kite fixed is stuart bell. he is realy good with his matterials, workmanship and price but he hasnt had that much experience with kites so if it is a big or complicated job sometimes you need to tell him how you want it fixed. if you dont know the best way to fix it take it into SOS and get Andy to have a look at it and he can tell you the best way to get it fixed. stuart bell will pick the kite up from SOS and drop it back there when it is fixed. simple as
i have had to get more kites repaired over the years than i care to remember and have tried most of the kite repairers in perth. After a few bad experiences now i will only send my kite to neil at hold the line or stuart bell.
also i hear kaos69 from fetish kiteboards is handy with a sewing machine too
PS sorry for the SOS pimpping. if you know what you want done you can take it direct to stuart bell i dont have his contact details tho but give SOS a call and they can tell ya
good luck
let us respect their knowledge to repair older & late model kites to the best of 'their' ability and our choice to freely try another without prejudice.
