PaddleNSW Staff

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) (Full time)

PaddleNSW inc
PO Box 6971
Silverwater NSW 2128
Phone: 02 8736 1254
Email: admin@paddleNSW.org.au

As a not-for-profit sporting organisation, our team all work various hours to best serve the needs of our members. We do our best to reply to all queries as soon as possible.

Accounts Officer (one day per week)

Email: accounts@paddleNSW.org.au

Events Coordinator (part time)

Email: events@paddleNSW.org.au

NSW Minister for Sport and Helen BROWNLEE AM

Board of Directors (Voluntary)

Chair

Kiaran has been paddling since 1988. In the past 10 years, he has moved from participation to volunteering his time in the administration of the sport, through coaching administrative positions in clubs and for PaddleNSW.

Kiaran’s background in management, and his organisational skills from many years in Defence acquisition projects as a project manager, test engineer and contract manager, provide a comprehensive skillset to support PaddleNSW’s strategic operations.

Kiaran is entering his eighth year as a board member of PaddleNSW and has seen many positive changes in PaddleNSW as is has developed during that time.

Vice Chair

Annette joined the PNSW Board in 2022.

She is the current Chair of the PNSW Harbour Racing Series Committee Chair and the Vice President of the Sutherland Shire Canoe Club / Dolls Point Paddlers.

Annette has considerable experience in state and club level race management and club administration.

She has more than 20 years Board experience in the banking sector including being Deputy Chair, Chair of the Risk Committee and a member of the Audit Committee.

Annette has also held senior leadership roles in a variety of industry sectors including banking, financial services, gambling, oil & gas and energy.

Vice Chair

Laura’s involvement with canoeing began aged 10 in Victoria in both Sprint & Marathon. She began volunteering at local events as a teenager and organised the VIC State Sprint Championships at 13 & 14 as well as being the Victorian Sprint race secretary for national events throughout her high school years.

Laura was a volunteer at the 2000 Sydney Olympics in the finish tower. Over the years, Laura’s education led her to undertake a Master of Business in Event Management, resulting in working for the Melbourne 2002 World Masters Games, ahead of taking up a placement at Australian Canoeing (now Paddle Australia) to manage the Australian Youth Olympic Festivals. Additionally, Laura held concurrent roles as Education Coordinator and High-Performance Coordinator for Sprint & Slalom; and helped any non-Olympic disciplines where she could.

Returning to her love of officiating, Laura has progressed to qualify as an International Technical Official, adjudicating at World Cups, Junior World Championships, Senior World Championships and the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.

Laura stood for a role on the NSW Sprint Committee in 2012 and was quickly supported by the committee to become the Chair, a role she held until 2020, successfully leading the PaddleSport and helping establish NSW as the lead state in Sprint athletes. Laura has also sat on the Paddle Australia Sprint Racing Technical Committee since 2013, being named as co-Vice Chair in 2022. She has re-established the national framework and education & support of Sprint officials.

Laura is well established in the paddling world from grassroots to international and is very excited at the opportunity to contribute to the continued development of paddling in NSW for all PaddleNSW members & clubs.

Elected Director

Kate has been paddling her whole life. She has been a member of the Australian Canoe Slalom Team since 2013, and when she’s not in a slalom boat you will often find her in a creek boat on rivers.

Kate is passionate about giving back to the paddling community because over the years she herself has been the recipient of a lot of generous support.

She wants to help the address the barriers faced by women in the sport as well as increase awareness around river safety in the community.

Kate is looking forward to working with the PNSW board and represent the paddling communities she is apart of.

Elected Director

Tom started paddling in 1994. Originally in Sea Kayaks, and then progressed to Ocean Skis.

He’s competed and and completed all of the main long distance events: Hawkesbury CC, Marathon Series and Twenty Beaches.

By competing in these events, Tom realised that you need a great support crew and he’s thankful that his wife Bernadette has been there to support him, making it a truly great partnership.

Tom is also the current Treasurer of Shark Island Paddlers Inc. and is on the Organising Committee for the Tingira Challenge.

He’s always lived close to water and currently resides in Maroubra.

To power his paddling passions, Tom is as a Registered Company Auditor by day; makes sense why he’s a club treasurer rigt!

As well as paddling, Tom also rides road bikes and through his involvement in both sports sees that cycling and paddling face similar issues.

Tom is keen to advocate for close to water access and storage.

Appointed Director

Bob is now retired and living on the south coast of NSW, with a clear preference now for paddling on water with a high content of ’salt’.

Bob has paddled Marathon for years, completing numerous Marathon Series, multiple Myall and Hawkesbury Classics and a couple of Murray Marathons (in the good old days when it was run by the Red Cross).

Bob was first introduced to paddling in 2006 and shortly thereafter, Bob set a goal to paddle across Bass Strait, something he feels very fortunate to complete in 2018 with a group of mates on an adventure he will remember forever.

Bob decided to give back to the sport & the paddling community when an opportunity presented itself in 2009. Since then, Bob and the paddlesport of Marathon are synonymous with Bob having served on the Marathon Committee in various roles since then.

Bob joined the PaddleNSW Board in 2015, and was privileged to Chair the Board from 2017 until the 2022 AGM.

As well as giving back at a State level, Bob has also served on the Paddle Australia National Marathon Technical Committee since 2014, and on the PA National Competition Committee since its inception.

Bob holds a Level 2 Marathon Official, and a Level 1 Flatwater Coach certificates; both qualifications which have allowed Bob to give back a little more to the sport which he discovered late in life, but which has given him much pleasure since then.

PaddleSport Committees (Voluntary)

Suzi EDWARDS (Chair)
Anthony BUTT

Craig HUTCHINSON (Chair)
Richard ANDREWS, Richard BARNES, Bob KENDERES, Cathy MILLER, Nathan ROSAGUTI, Louie WU

Eileen CALLAGHAN (Chair)
Richard CASS, Kim KAAR, Cindy MANN

Annette MATHEWS (Chair)
Mark BRETAG, Murray DELL, Darren FORBES, Nicola FROWEN, Bruce SINCLAIR, James STUART, Craig TAYLOR

Bob TURNER (Chair)

Damo Staunton (Makai), David Nettle (CSKC), Gil Kaltenbach (BWP), Jason Redlich (WBCC), John Denyer (SSCC), John Duffy (LCRK), Laura Lee (WPC), Matthew Lowe (PVC), Peter Grimes (MWKC), Sally Verhuel (HVPC), Richard Fox (BGCC)

Bob TURNER, Rob MERCER

Brian CORK (Chair)
Julie CURTIN, Mike DRUCE, Craig ELLIOT, Rosalyn LAWRENCE, Georgia RANKIN, Chris THOMPSON

Canoe Slalom in NSW is directed by the PaddleNSW Slalom Committee. The committee encourages and supports paddlers from the grass roots and club level to international competitors and runs the annual State Championships.

The slalom committee can be contacted at slalom@paddlensw.org.au

Sally SIMONS (Chair)
Jeff BEERE, Scott CUNNINGHAM, Simone ELLIOTT, Turia MAKO, Graham MATTS, Wendy TAURINS

Kiaran LOMAS (Chair)

Johannes HENDRIKS (Chair)
Will STONE

Peter McINTYRE (Chair)
Scott LAWSON, Carole LUNTUNGAN, Alex McINTYRE, Rob McINTYRE

Special Interest Committees (Voluntary)

Karen TIPPING (Chair)
Chris DICKMAN, Darren FORBES, Bron POWELL, Daniela TORRE

 

Bron POWELL (Chair)
Robyn BINGLE, Bridget CLEAVER, Jeff COTTRELL, Carmen FU, Alison MRKONJA, Stephanie SCALIA, John STEFAS, Sally VERHEUL, Lisa WRILEY

The PaddleNSW Environment Committee was established in 2020 in recognition of our members increasingly caring about our environment and wanting to do more.

Building on existing activities and creating new ones, the Environment Committee now coordinates two state-wide clean up paddles per year (Clean Up Australia Day and SUPtember); as well as promoting bushcare kayaking and wildlife monitoring; holding webinars and designing environmental guidelines for paddle clubs and paddle events.

Meetings of the committee are an opportunity for members to share ideas on alternatives to single use plastics, what initiatives are working in their clubs or networks, stay up to date with the latest environmental policies and campaigns, and showcase the most random piece of rubbish they have picked up out of their waterway!

The committee welcomes new volunteers – email bron@paddlensw.org.au

Lynn PARKER (Education Coordinator), Margi BOHM (Coaching Coordinator)
Adrian CLAYTON, Ian ROYDS, Lee WRIGHT

Life Members

PaddleNSW and the former peak bodies of Canoeing in NSW and ACT have awarded 25 Life Memberships since the NSW Canoe Association was originally formed on 8th September 1949.

Name Year Inducted
Os Brownlee 1962 Deceased
Max Hill 1962 Deceased
Albert Hopkins 1962 Deceased
Harry Savage 1962 Deceased
Frank Whitebrook 1962 Deceased
Frank Henry 1967 Deceased
Phil Coles AM 1977 Deceased 28/01/2023
Graham Johnson 1978
Helen Brownlee AM 1979
Bruce Morison OAM 1980 Deceased
Joan Morison OAM 1981 Deceased
Bill Sale 1982 Deceased
John Martin 1984
George Clarke 1986 Deceased
Jim Fuller 1990 Deceased
Ray Abrahall 1992 Deceased
Adele Meier 1994
Beverley Pallister 1997
Graham Halford 2003 Deceased
Peter Flowers 2005
Jeff Cottrell 2016
Gaye Hatfield 2016
Lynn Parker 2016
Tim Hookins 2018
Tony Hystek 2018
Kaye Laurendet 2022
Chris Thompson 2022

Annual Award Winners

2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13
Male Paddler of the Year Murray Stewart Murray Stewart Darren Lee
Female Paddler of the Year Kate Lawrence Jo Brigden-Jones Jessica Fox Jessica Fox
Young Paddler of the Year Arnold Graf Allison Bryant / Joseph Dunne Angus Thompson
Paddler with a Disability Award Tracey Hansford Colin Sieders
Masters Paddler (Veteran) of the Year Grant Hughes Stephen Shelley Tony Hystek Gary Henderson
Team of the Year Jack Ward & Mick Carroll Murray Stewart Women’s Slalom Team
Coach of the Year Jim Walker Tim Jacobs David James
Official of the Year
Administrator of the Year Tim Hookins Canoe Polo Committee
Volunteer of the Year Norm Woodford Neil Crabb Jeff Cottrell Gaye Hatfield
Event of the Year Myall River Classic
Cure for Life Foundation
Middle Harbour Paddlers
Myall River Classic
Makai Cup
WomDomNom
Distinguished Long Service Award Grant Hughes
Laurie Lawrence
Lyle Mead
Margaret Naughton
Nick Naughton
Dave Salter
Basil Slaughter
Lawrie Kenyon
2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17
Male Paddler of the Year Murray Stewart Lachlan Tame Murray Stewart Lachlan Tame
Female Paddler of the Year Jessica Fox Jessica Fox Jessica Fox Jessica Fox
Young Paddler of the Year (U18) Noemie Fox Ella Beere Mitchell Cronin Mitch O’Loughlin
Paddler with a Disability Award Kieran O’Riordan Breanna Reid Dylan Littlehales Dylan Littlehales
Colin Sieders
Masters Paddler (Veteran) / Senior Paddler (50+) of the Year Richard Barnes Anjie Lees Anne Lloyd-Green
Albert Laurendet
Laura Lee
Team of the Year ACT Veterans Polo Team Burley Babes Polo Team MWKC Salty Paddlers
Coach of the Year Tim Jacobs Brian Trouville Sebastian Marczak Darren Forbes
Instructor/ Guide of the Year Gaye Hatfield Bob Turner
Official of the Year Christine Duff Lynn Parker Bob Turner Laura White
Administrator of the Year John Kelly John Preston Heidi Cheney
Volunteer of the Year National Polo Champs National Marathon Champs Roger Deane Susan Robb
Event of the Year Tony Hystek Brian Trouville Marathon Series @ Makai
Environment Award
Image (action shot) Award
Distinguished Long Service Award Helen Tongway
Jeff Cottrell
2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21
Male Paddler of the Year Nathan Rosaguti Rob McIntyre Dylan Littlehales Dylan Littlehales
Female Paddler of the Year Jessica Fox Jessica Fox Naomi Johnson Jessica Fox
Young Paddler of the Year (U18) Harry Armstrong Ashby Allen Alisa van der Kwartel Natalia Drobot
Paddler with a Disability Award Dylan Littlehales Dylan Littlehales Daniel Dalton
Masters Paddler (Veteran) / Senior Paddler (50+) of the Year Julian Hall Daniela Torre Allan Newhouse Karen Hadjinicola
Team of the Year Men’s NSW K4 500 team
Coach of the Year Margi Bohm David Hipsley Tony Hystek
Bob Turner
Christine Duff
Instructor/ Guide of the Year Laura Stone Ian Royds
Official of the Year Gary Rake Naomi Johnson
Administrator of the Year Bob & Christine Berridge Simon Wilkes Windsor Committee
Volunteer of the Year Maya Gibson Nicola Beere
Mark Bretag
Craig Dodd
Peter Hughes
Steve Molino
Jeremy Spear
Ian Wrenford
Eileen Callaghan Don Johnstone
Annette Mathews
Gavin Rayward
Simon Wilkes
Lyn Wilson
Event of the Year Snowy River Extreme Race Disability Come&Try Avoca
Marathon Series @ Penrith
Makai Cup Windsor Return to Marathon
Environment Award Robyn Bingle
Image (action shot) Award Ian Wrenford Mark Sundin Tom Holloway & Ian Wrenford
Distinguished Long Service Award Bob Collins
Bruce Graham
Kaye Laurendet
Lyle Mead
Elizabeth van Reece
Len Turner Sharon Hughes Jil Parker & Judy Greenidge
Andy Halliday
2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25
Male Paddler of the Year Dylan Littlehales
Female Paddler of the Year Jessica Fox
Young Paddler of the Year (U18) Christian Ireland
Paddler with a Disability Award
Masters Paddler (Veteran) / Senior Paddler (50+) of the Year Jeff Hosnell
Team of the Year
Coach of the Year Jake Michael
Instructor/ Guide of the Year Adrian Clayton
Official of the Year Laura White
Administrator of the Year Simon Wilkes
Volunteer of the Year Adam Hofmeyer
Laura Kleinrahm
Event of the Year
Environment Award Bridget Cleaver
Image (action shot) Award John Harrison
Distinguished Long Service Award Mike Mackney