Official of the Year
2023-24 David Brookes
David served as the Deputy PRO at the Paris 2024 Olympics and is part of the Australian Sailing Rules Specialist Group. He assists in drafting Notices Of Races and provides guidance to fellow race officers. Over the past year, he has contributed to several appeals panels, offering his expertise as a race officer in the decision-making process. With extensive experience in events both in Australia and internationally, David is a respected life member of Yachting Queensland and has been honored with an Australian Sports Medal.
2022-23 Damien Boldyrew
Damien Boldyrew, accredited World Sailing International Judge and Umpire, possesses a wealth of knowledge and expertise that he generously shares with the sailing community. In the last 12 months, Boldyrew has served as an Official at numerous large-scale events and has also demonstrated a consistent commitment to mentoring club members in learning to umpire and to judge at club level events, strengthening the local volunteer community.
2021-22 Andre Blasse
Andre Blasse has served as a volunteer at the highest level for more than 20 years, including at three Olympic Games and endless international and local regattas. At club level, he has been Commodore, Vice Commodore, Rear Commodore and Sailing Captain, and was recently appointed as Chief Measurer for the 2022 Finn Gold Cup World Championships in Italy.
2020-21 Louise Davis
One of only 2 female International Race Officers in Australia, Louise i sregularly asked to host regatta's around the country, including Airlie Beach Race Week and the Etchell National & Australasian Championships held at Mooloolaba Yacht Club during this awards period. Louise is an effective member of the Australian Sailing National Race Officials Committee and ensures that all Queensland Race Officers are kept up to date with relevant information from World Sailing.
2019-20 Stephen Aulich
The last 12 months has been an incredible time for Steve and his contribution to sailing has been nothing short of absolutely enormous!
As an active member of SYC, Steve has played a key role in race management at SYC this year. SYC played host to a series of Laser Regattas in which Steve was heavily involved in as either the Race Officer or Deputy Race Officer. A summary of the major events that Steve was involved in as a key player (i.e. Principal Race Officer, Course Race Officer, Deputy Race Officer etc.) this year are the Hydrofoil Pro Tour, Mauritius - August 2019/September 2020, Kitefoiling State Titles, Townsville - September 2019, Sail Sandy - October 2019, Victorian Laser States - November 2019, Australian Cadet Nationals - December 2019/January 2020, Australian Laser Nationals - January 2020, Sail Melbourne (kite course) - January 2020, Men's Laser Standard Worlds - February 2020, Men's and Women's Laser Radial Worlds - February 2020. Steve is also heavily involved in the mentoring of up and coming volunteers from SYC and abroad. In particular, Steve assisted several SYC volunteers and staff obtain National, State and Club level Race Officer qualifications.
2018-19 Richard Slater
Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club’s Richard Slater is regarded one of the world's top international judges and vice chairman of the World Sailing Racing Rules Committee, and serves as chief umpire and chairman of racing rules.
2017-18 Mike Rogers (SA)
2015-16 Stephen Aulich (Victoria)
Stephen Aulich gives generously of his time and services to the Sandringham Yacht Club, as an involved OTB member. Since 2004, Stephen has been the PRO for the Sail Sandy event, helping the event grow to one of the premier OTB events on the calendar. In 2015 and in years preceding, Stephen was the assistant RO and provided his boat ‘George’ as the Race Committee boat, something he also did for the Youth Sail Mornington event. In 2016, Stephen was the PRO overseeing 150 boats and three course areas for the International Optimist States Championships as well as on the Race Management team for the Kite Racings World Championships in Shanghai >> Nomination Citation
2014-15 Andy Curnow (Western Australia)
An organised and professional race officer, Andy Curnow has officiated at countless regattas. In 2014 alone they ranged from the Sharpie Nationals, a multitude of Kite regattas including both Worlds and Continental Championships, the 9er Nationals at Jervoise Bay and the Musto Worlds on Melville Water.
Over the year Andy has done much to advance race management in Western Australia. The Kites, Foilers and Musto all stretch traditional race management and the Mustos in particular involved adapting a high performance class within a stretch of water meant to be too windy for the class. Andy took on the challenge and led by example, adapting the NOR, Sailing Instructions and on the water, off the water as well as helping the class adapt. The regatta was sailed in lighter easterlies for a few days but Andy managed these days well, made the right decisions, held his nerve and gained the respect of the sailors and did it all with a sense of humour >> Nomination Citation
2013-14 Mark Taylor (Victoria)
As a national race officer, Mark was integral to the 2013 ISAF Sailing World Cup held in Melbourne, as co-chairman of the organising committee and a representative on the management committee in the nine months leading up to the event and during the regatta he was a Race Officer on the Alpha Course. Further to this, Mark plays a significant role in running international, national and state events at Black Rock Yacht Club, including being PRO at 2014 Skiff Regattas and the 2014 OK Dingy National Championships, 2013 Go-For-Gold Regatta and 2013-14 Schools Teams Racing. Mark was PRO at the OK Dingy Worlds in Thailand and is looking forward to hosting his third OK Dinghy Championships, at the 2015 Worlds in Melbourne.