Who We Are

Our Vision:

To be a thriving cohesive paddling community in Western Australia that embraces the dimension of paddling as a sport: adventure, recreation and competition.

Our Purpose:

To introduce and promote paddling in West Australia through participation in the activity of paddling: for health, enjoyment, friendship, challenge and achievement.

Our Community:

• Paddle WA a non-profit organisation affiliated with Paddle Australia.
• Our community is made up of many constituents including but not limited to clubs, disciplines, committees, volunteers, coaches, the Paddle Academy, the Board and the staff.
• We represent the interests of a range of disciplines including marathon, slalom, sprint, sea kayaking, ocean racing, wild water and work collaboratively with other paddling organisations.
• Our membership includes over 2408 active club members of all ages, abilities and interests across the dimensions of adventure, competition and recreation.
• The 11 clubs are located across Perth and the South West of W.A.

Paddle WA Strategic Plan

Click here to view the strategic plan in full resolution

Paddle Australia

Board Members

Andrew Hayden – Elected Director – Re-election in 2022

Andrew has been paddling for over 40 years in Victoria with an initial introduction via surf lifesaving, this lead to marathon paddling and completing two Murray River Marathons. Arriving in Perth in 1990 to work as a sports physiotherapist, he has been a junior coach at Bayswater Paddlesports taking squads of juniors to National Sprint Championships and has played a role in formatting the junior development programs in WA.

With a social and health interest in paddling, he sees the sport as a great one for all ages, male and female, all abilities and with a wide variety of disciplines to cater for different skills, environments and competitive formats. As a sports physiotherapist he sees the sport as an excellent “whole of life” activity that allows participation through to the latter years. The sport is a great alternative for people who have had lower limb injuries and joint arthritis to allow them an outdoor cardiovascular activity that is kind on the body and good for the health in that it requires strength, stamina, flexibility, skill and teamwork; undertaken in the outdoor environment.

Ken Vidler – Elected Director – Re-election in 2022

Ken began paddling Surf Ski’s in 1967 and was Australia’s most decorated surf life-saving representative when he retired from top-level competition, winning over 50 medals across his 23-year career. He competed at the 1978 & 1979 World Canoeing Championships, finishing 4th in the K4 1000m and 5th in the single ski 10’000m in 1979. Finished 8th at the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games in the K4 1000m event. Ken showed his versatility by winning the WWK1 at the 1978 Wildwater Racing National Championships at Harvey, WA.

Amanda Simper – Elected Director – Re-election in 2023

Amanda was introduced to paddling in 1988, and by 1995 was winning events at the Sprint National Championships. She made her first Australian team in 1997, and finished 3rd in a second selection event to be named in the Olympic team. Amanda finished 10th at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games in the K4 500m event with Yanda Nossiter, Shelley Oates-Wilding and Kerrie Randle.

She then joined Swan Canoe Club and with the help of Marion Ewing, established a flat water junior paddling program. She has been unsuccessful in any attempts to turn her own sons into paddlers, and instead spends far more time at soccer events than kayak regattas, but she says they will grow up one day and leave her to her own interests at which time she will get to hang out at Champion Lakes more. Now that she has completed her studies, she works in libraries, she also runs her business in New Zealand, Milford Sound Lodge

Leonie Cockman – Elected Director – Re-election in 2023

Leonie is a highly-involved member of the paddling community, as a competitor, club president, paddling instructor, and PAQS education coordinator. Inducted as an Ascot Kayak Club Life Member in 2018, Leonie was the president for 8 years and oversaw the development of the club, which has maintained it’s reputation since stepping down in 2018.

Currently Leonie is Paddle WA’s most qualified instructor, and has been instrumental in developing our LiveLighter Paddle Academy program. Alongside instructing both flatwater and whitewater with us, Leonie owns her own paddle tour business on the Swan River called Water Wanderers.

Terry Bolland – Elected Director – Re-election in 2023

Terry is a well-known figure in the WA paddling community and has been instrumental in developing the sport in WA. He was awarded Life Membership to Paddle WA in 2005 and was inducted to the Hall Of Fame in the inaugural year of 2018. Terry is also a Life Member of Ascot Kayak Club and an Avon Descent Legend.

Terry’s list of achievements is literally endless, having been a paddling instructor and competitor since 1979, author of 6 books, owner of Canoeing Down Under, completed 26x Avon Descents, ICF Marathon World Championship bronze medallist (2019), and has over 70 000km worth of paddling expeditions under his belt. Read more about Terry’s achievements here.

Zac Acott – Independent Director – Re-election in 2022

Zac has lived in Perth his whole life and is a self-proclaimed ‘sports nuffy’. With a sports management and marketing background, he is currently employed at Swimming WA as the Competition and Pathways Manager, after spending four years working at the Fremantle Dockers as the Supporter Acquisition and Marketing Team Manager and AFLW Operations Assistant. Zac previously worked as a Development Officer at Paddle WA from Feb 2012 to Sept 2014 with current Executive Officer, Rosalie Evans.

Claire Scullin – Independent Director – Re-election in 2023

Currently the manager of a state-wide sports advocacy program at the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (formerly Department of Sport and Recreation), Claire has worked extensively for both non-profit and private enterprise before entering the public sector.

Her work history includes a wide range of roles including Project Manager, State Manager, Marketing Coordinator and PR Consultant to Executive Officer and Brand Manager.

Since becoming a public servant in 2008, she has worked in numerous areas of the sports industry including combat sports, community participation, inclusion, state-wide trends and integrity and communications, which has given her an overarching understanding of the current state of the WA sport and recreation industry, its trends and opportunities.

Claire is also a regular participant in sport and recreation activities including almost 30 years of coaching, officiating and training in martial arts, competing in triathlons and taking part in trail runs and any other exciting recreational events that she hears about.

To contact the Board directly, please email board@paddlewa.asn.au (not for PWA Office Staff).

Hall of Fame

View the Paddle WA Hall of Fame

Life Members

Paddle Western Australia acknowledges the contribution made to the sport by its Life Members:

Benny Bennion **

Bevan Dashwood

Bill Davis

Peter Dear

Bill Hine **

Greg Kaeding

Hetty Snowball **

Les Taylor

Terry Bolland

Robyn Khorshid

John Mulcahy

Peter Martin

Neville Hine

Margaret Jeffery

Ramon Andersson

Marion Ewing

Christian Thompson

Judith Thompson

Lawrence Greed

**deceased

Governance

Policies

Constitution
Organisational Structure:

Meetings

AGM and SGM Minutes

Event Endorsement Process

This is the process for obtaining endorsement from Paddle WA to run an event. If you require any help working the process or completing the forms and risk assessments please contact the Paddle WA office during business hours. In addition Paddle WA board members would be delighted to meet with the organising committee outside of normal business hours to assist.

The event organisers need to:

Complete the Event Summary Document EP001 (including event plan and budget forecast) which is available on the Paddle WA website under the documents section of this page.

Lodge the EP001 form with the Paddle WA office as early as possible however a minimum of 90 days prior to the proposed event (The Paddle WA board will review the document at the next board meeting and either reject the event immediately or advise the event organisers to continue to proceed through the Event Endorsement process).

Conduct a Hazard and Risk Analysis (HRA) for the event as per the procedure and template tools available on the Paddle WA web site at the following location:

Paddle WA Risk Management

Read and understand the Paddle Australia’s Safety Guidelines which are available on the Paddle Australia website at the following location:

Risk Management and Occupational Health and Safety

Work through the Paddle Australia Safety Checklist – General which is available on the Paddle Australia website at the following location:

Editable Version

Work through the most appropriate discipline-specific Paddle Australia Safety Checklist(s) which are available on the Paddle Australia website at the following location:

Editable Versions:
Marathon Polo Slalom Wildwater

For steps 5 & 6 ensure that how each item will be addressed is documented. If any items do not need to be addressed or are not applicable then ensure the reason why this is the case is documented (note that hand marking up a copy of the checklists and adding any new measures to the HRA is sufficient documentation).

Prepare an event plan.

Update the Event Summary Document EP001. Compile the Event Plan, HRA and safety checklist documents together and send a copy of all completed documentation to Paddle WA marked to the attention of the Executive Officer for Board approval 60-90 days prior to the event (the Paddle WA board will consider the completed documentation at the next board meeting).

Documents

Publications

Member Protection Policy Bylaw – here

Documents, Policies and Bylaws – here

ANTI-DOPING POLICY – here

ANTI-MATCH FIXING BYLAW – here

CONCUSSION GUIDELINES – here

Paddle WA SunSmart Policy – Sunsmart Policy

Risk Management

AC Risk Management Policy
AC Safety Guidelines
AC Safety Code
AC Safety Checklists

Payment requests

1/ Fill out Payment Request(FPP Form 020b)
2/ Attach the invoice
3/ Send to PWA for payment
*A remittance advice slip will be emailed to you for your records.
Reimbursement requests
1/ Fill out Reimbursement-Request-(FPP Form 020a)
2/ Attach the invoice & receipt
3/ Send to PWA for reimbursement *A remittance advice slip will be emailed to you for your records.

If depositing money into the PWA Bank Account, PLEASE send an email to eo@paddlewa.asn.au detailing the deposit for our records.

For Contractors

Invoice

Statement by Supplier Form