What sort of time commitment is required to be on the committee of WAKSA and are you excluded from participating in events due to having to work them?

Mate, I understand just fine; I know there is a real threat to access, but what I don't understand is why so many people are ready to bend over and give away their civil liberties- to hand over the power to authorities who couldn't care less about our sport, and if the opportunity is given to them, will use it as a cash cow for no real benefit to the people being regulated – the majority of who are doing the right thing.
Talk about throwing out the baby with the bath water.

If you want to see my rant as a flame, which it wasn't, it was that view of regulation acceptance I was directing it at.

I did not ridicule anyone for wanting to discuss the issue, but slipping into unnecessary regulation is a very bad thing, this whole topic is very serious, yet so many are just blasé about it- if no one gets fired up about it, no one will think about it properly until it's too late.
My aim is to make people think, this issue needs to be kept at the forefront so more people are exposed to the issue, not to let it slip down the page and onto the next.
The debate and thought needs to be kept going until a solution is reached.

Obviously Juddy and others have witnessed a lot of goings on, I have a lot of respect for Juddy and agree the issue needs to be looked at very seriously, but I don't think any of us has the same level of back information relating to genuine complaints from the public and authorities as WAKSA does, so in a discussion like this, I, like everyone else reserve the right to question how big the issue really is.

The only issues I and many others are aware of, are what we see on the beach and the rants we read on here from people who saw the wrong thing being done, but didn't speak to the people doing the wrong thing at the time, rather they waited till they got home and made a thread.
My statement about that was that concentrating the 'reporting' of individual wrong doings on a forum has the effect of making the incidents seem greater in relation to the population of considerate kiters, than they really are.
That is why I question whether the size of the issue does really need to lead to regulation so soon.

And that is why this discussion was started – to get everyone's feedback.

And my view, as well as others, is that there have been other solutions or parts thereof that have been mentioned, that would work, if people get behind it and make it work- but the complacency I see is huge- that is the bigger problem, people realising there is a threat to their freedoms, but not being willing to get in and help remedy it.

Good for you, you've obviously been kiting way longer than me, and I'm sure you're not one to hide on a forum, but rather will speak to people on the beach for doing the wrong thing- naturally, being 873 ½ will give you that good experience.

Obviously I'm not the type of person who would be wanted on WAKSA, but I'm still willing to help where I can.

I don't care if people think I'm a d*ck for being passionate about this subject, but I am trying to participate constructively.

See my words as you will.

kiterboy said...

What sort of time commitment is required to be on the committee of WAKSA and are you excluded from participating in events due to having to work them?

Kiterboy (and everyone else interested)....

how long is a piece of string, and there's your answer....

WAKSA meets about once a month but in the lead up to major events (like KS) probably twice a month or so. Regular meetings are a couple of hours, sometimes up to three hours but we try to run a tight ship.

Participation in an event isn't necessary restricted or limited, a number of the committee have gone in events such as the Redkite DW & the Wedge Island wave comp. I've got a personal view that 'someone' from the Association needs to be on hand in case it hits the fan, so I tend not to 'do' an event I'm organising or involved in.

The beauty of being involved on the committee is that the more you put in, the more you get out of it. We all have families, relationships, jobs, and other things going on in our lives - WAKSA is only a small part for most of the committee.

I'll admit in the role of President, I'm putting in 'several' more hours each week, especially during the season. That's a comment, not a whinge by the way - I put my hand up to take on the role.

Alot of my time outside of regular committee meetings gets taken up dealing with sh!t...local councils & their employees (rangers etc), surf clubs, meeting/liaising/dealing with Transport, DEC, as necessary, meeting with politicians, & meeting with retailers every now & again to get a feel for what's happening in the sport from the business perspective.

I've really enjoyed being involved & would strongly encourage all kiters getting involved on the WAKSA committee to anyone who wants to put something back into the sport; to maintain what we have (access etc) & to get to know what's happening around, in, & to our sport....

Kiterboy, the issue I initially posted about is out there...simmering away, underneath the surface. My recent posts have been to get WA kiters talking & kicking ideas around so that WA kiters can be pro-active, rather than waking up one day to find we've been done over...

PM me if you want to discuss further....

Juddy