2016 CLUBS NSW
THE ROYAL PRINCE ALFRED YACHT CLUB WINS 2016 CLUBS NSW DISABILITY , WELFARE & SOCIAL INCLUSION AWARD
The Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club has won the ‘ Disability , Welfare & Social Inclusion ’ Award in the prestigious 2016 Clubs NSW Club & Community Awards for its Integrated disAbled Sailing Program .
The award , the first of the night was further recognised in its importance by being the only award of the night presented by the NSW Premier Mr Mike Baird at the Royal Hall of Industries . The award recognises the outstanding work The RPAYC and its members have achieved within the local community through their Integrated disAbled Sailing ( IdS ) program which supports the funding and integration of sailors with disabilities into the Club ’ s regular sailing program .
The award was accepted by Commodore Ian Audsley who spoke of the recent broadening of the program which now involves ‘ Soldier On ’, a charity dedicated to supporting ex-service men and women back into civilian life , the ‘ Another Challenge ’ program and the continuing partnership with Sailability which has been in place for decades . He commended the efforts of long time Sailability volunteer Allan Jones who was present for the presentation .
After presentation of the award , The RPAYC General Manager , Suzanne Davies commented , “ We are very proud of this award and it will recognise the efforts of many participants , volunteers , staff and all RPAYC members who have so generously shared their club , welcomed participants on their boats and helped raise funds .
“ Nathan Vardanega who runs the Soldier On program , was unable to make it tonight , but I ’ m sure he will be thrilled .
“ Dan Fitzgibbon , in particular will be very excited , as will John Bacon of Link Healthcare ! A locally based Pharmaceutical and Medical Technology business , who has financially supported this program from its inception .” Suzanne Davies said .
Central to the Another Challenge program is 2012 Paralympic Gold Medallist Dan Fitzgibbon who , along with his sailing teammate , Liesl Tesch , have been selected for the 2016 Rio Paralympics and Alyse Saxby who , in 2015 , won Gold at the Special Olympics in Los Angeles .
The IdS Program is now firmly embedded as an important part of the Club . The award reinforces the importance of sailing as a sport for participants of all abilities and the benefits that can be gained in participating in this wonderful pass time .
Commodore Ian Audsley later confirmed that , “ Looking forward , The RPAYC will continue to grow the IdS program to share more of these experiences with those who face more significant challenges in their lives than most of us .”
RPAYC ACTIVITIES
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