John Cameron elected as Commodore of the CYCA

by Jennifer Crooks, CYCA Media on 16 Jul 2014 Members of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, last evening Tuesday 15 July, elected John Cameron as their Commodore and elected a new Board of Directors at the Club’s seventieth annual general meeting.

In his address to members at the meeting, Commodore Cameron said 'It is with great pleasure I take up the position of Commodore for one of the leading ocean racing clubs in Australia. The Club is in a strong position financially and I look forward to continuing to deliver to members one of the best competitive sailing calendars in Australia.

'In the Club’s 70th year, we will continue to deliver member benefits, the next stages of the Club’s redevelopment and have several key milestone events planned to celebrate this special anniversary,' Commodore Cameron added.

Cameron has been a member of the CYCA since 1988 and has been a member of the Board for eight years. He has been Chairman of the Sailing and CYCA Rules Review Committee and a member of the Marina and Site Committee and Redevelopment Committee.

John Markos was elected as Vice Commodore, Paul Billingham and Andrew Wenham were elected as Rear Commodores with Arthur Lane elected as Treasurer.

Immediate Past Commodore Howard Piggott has now retired from the Board and noted in his farewell address to members 'I have thoroughly enjoyed my term as Commodore and wish John all the very best during his term as Commodore. Throughout my term as Commodore we have celebrated the 20th Anniversary of our Youth Sailing Academy, introduced a new fleet of training vessels and seen significant improvements on the marina and around the site.

'The next phase of redevelopment for the Club will be exciting. Additionally it is with great pleasure that I announce that Rolex has agreed to continue as the naming rights sponsor of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race up to and including the 2023 edition of this compelling blue water event,' Piggott added.

Three new directors were elected by the members: Anthony Kirby, Leander Klohs and Janey Treleaven; with Paul Clitheroe, Noel Cornish and Anthony Dunn re-elected as Directors of the club.

'I welcome the three new directors to the Board and extend a vote of thanks to all Board members and Chairmen of Committees for their service to the Club over the past year and look forward to working with you all over the ensuing year. I thank Geoff Bonus who served on the board since 2008 and Nick Kingsmill, who served on the board since 2009 for the valuable contribution they both made while serving as directors,' Commodore Cameron concluded.

Six members were also recognised as 50 Year Members: Tony Cable who completed his 48th Hobart last year and holds the record for the most Sydney Hobart races completed by an individual, Dennis Freer, David Lawson, David Macrae, Norman Rydge AM OBE, and Frederick Thomas.

John Kirkjian was granted Life Membership of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in recognition of his service to the Club as a member of the CYCA Protest Committee since the early 1980s. He was appointed Chairman in 1985, after the retirement of David Goode and has presided as either a protest committee member or chairman in: 2,500 club protests; 100 Australian championships; 150 State Championships; 100 International Juries; and 120 Major non-title events.

From 2003-2011, John was Chairman of the International Jury for the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and has served on the jury for 20 plus years. He has been an ISAF International Judge since 1994 – a certification he still holds today and is considered one of Australia’s foremost authorities on the Racing Rules of Sailing.

The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia also received messages of congratulations from organisations located around Australia and the world on reaching its 70th anniversary milestone. Well wishes were received from Clubs including the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, the Royal Ocean Racing Club, the New York Yacht Club and the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron to name just a few.