Saturday 30 August 2025

Member for Redlands, Mrs Rebecca Young MP; Member for Lytton, Ms Joan Pease MP; Commanding Officer of HMAS Moreton, Commander Rosemarie Apikotoa RAN; Councillor for Wynnum Manly Ward, Councillor Alex Givney; Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron Commodore Curtis Skinner; Vice Commodore Todd Anderson; Rear Commodore Chris Land; Board Chair David Redfern and Board Members; CEO Mrs Karen Baldwin; Army Chaplain, Reverend Dr Peter Devenish-Meares; Past Commodores; Life Members; Visiting Flag Officers; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen.

I begin by acknowledging the Original Custodians of the lands on which we are gathered and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and to any First Nations people here today.

As Patron of the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron, it is a pleasure to join you here for the fourth time at Manly to officially launch the sailing season in Queensland, in this case the 141st. I’d like to thank Commodore Skinner for his warm welcome and for the marvellous bagpipe band greeting which adds to the ceremonial significance of today.

As a keen sailor myself, I have enjoyed many afternoons of enjoyable sailing here on Moreton Bay in the company of the WAGS fleet, although not as often as I would wish. The Wednesday weather has been rather more fickle thank one would have wished, with cancellations due to dead calm and to gale force.

The Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron, as most of you will know, has a long and rich history dating back to its formation in 1885, with its first Commodore being Sir Thomas McIlwraith who later became Premier of Queensland. Since that time, the Club has hosted many championship races for state, national and international regattas, and remains committed to its youth development programs to inspire future generations of sailors.

The Club also champions exceptional sailing talent and has produced many world-class sailors. Speaking of which, I particularly would like to acknowledge Rory Meehan who won the IQ Foiling Under 19 World Championship in France last month. I know that you join with me in congratulating Rory on this superb achievement.

I also acknowledge Malcolm Page OAM as the recently appointed CEO of Australian Sailing and note that this Club is brilliantly represented in the Queensland Sailing Awards to be announced next month, with 17 finalists across 12 categories. Good luck to all those finalists!

In Queensland, with so many of our cities and towns located on the east coast or near island waterways, it is easy to understand why boating, cruising and yacht racing are among our most popular sporting and recreational activities.

Sailing, as we know, is popular across generations, and is even becoming increasingly common as a sporting activity in schools. I have been informed that Gumdale State School is about to celebrate a 10-year milestone in ensuring its students learn to sail in partnership with the Club.

Over 640 students from Gumdale participated in the Club’s sailing program last year. My hat goes off to the School’s Principal Phil Savill and others for their commitment to encouraging our young sailors and their love of the sea.

Today the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron continues to thrive, and this is evident by its 2025 Club of the Year Australia award from the Marina Industry Association. Clearly, the Club’s leadership team, coaches, race officials, staff and volunteers are doing all they can to add to the Squadron’s sizeable and growing membership, which is fast approaching 4,000 members!

In closing, I look forward to the traditional Blessing of the Fleet for their safety and fair winds during the season; and I thank those participating in the Fleet Sail Past which adds a wonderful spectacle to this Open Day.  I hope everyone here has a memorable day.

That said, it is now my pleasure to declare the 141^st sailing season officially open.