I would have assumed that the following year, members would have known that they have to paddle or else their membership will be in real danger. At the AGM just concluded (March 2000) I was appalled to find that one person who went for 11 months without making the slightest effort to paddle with the club was still allowed to retain membership - a person that could apparently find time to do private weekend trips. I give the following brief history to show that I have had very firm views on this matter for over 21 years, and am not deliberately attacking the person concerned.
 

Any history of sea canoeing must inextricably involve Cecily and myself - as we are the founder members of the only two sea kayaking clubs in Tasmania.

This will be as brief as I can make it, and is written in an attempt to demonstrate the passion involved in this sport, and the principles I uphold. I am putting this down because I believe that some people are under the impression that I have a personal vendetta against Phil Barratt, and his continued membership. This is not so - it is the principle involved that I am protesting against. If Phil resigned from the club tomorrow it would not alter my resolve to leave the club - I am protesting about the current members’ attitude to deliberately encourage non-paddlers, particularly in light of the clear warning that was given to everyone at the last AGM on Swan Island.

In 1978 Cecily and I belonged to the Derwent Canoe Club, a club of about 120 people whose main interest was in whitewater paddling, and a lot of competition. We were both involved in this, competing regularly in down-river races, and some slalom events. Cec has represented Tasmania in the State Slalom and Whitewater Team to compete in the National Championships on the mainland.

There was a little bit of sea canoeing done, there used to be an annual Easter trip to Maria Island every year - done mainly in river kayaks. The North Sea Tourer Mould was the only sea kayak available in those days, and quite a few were built. This culminated in the first ever trip to Flinders Island in 1978, Cecily in company with three men. At the same time I was taking part in a trip down to South Cape Rivulet, quite frankly in conditions that terrified me at the time as I was fairly new paddler in those days.

I personally decided to form a Sea Canoeing club, as there seemed to be enough interested paddlers to specialise in this part of the sport. This was despite a lot of opposition from people who considered that the Derwent Canoe Club was adequately catering for sea canoeists. The first meeting I called was a fizzer, just three people. I tried again weeks later and got the nucleus of a club together - I think there were 5 or 6 people there. We debated for some time as to the name of the club - we didn’t want to make the mistake of calling it a ‘Tasmanian’ club, and then find other clubs sprang up around the state, as has happened with the Tasmania Canoe Club which is now based in Ulverstone/Devonport.

We debated this at considerable length, and because of the type of club we were intending to form - we firmly believed that there would only ever be enough ‘real’ sea canoeists in Tasmania to form one club (this is still my opinion). One of the rules of the club was that you had to have a ‘Sea Proficiency’ certificate to join, or had to obtain one within 6 months. We tried to establish the fact that this was a club only for people who really wanted to go sea canoeing to places like Flinders Island, the South Coast etc..

And if you like the TSCC logo, thank Cec, it was all her design.

Unfortunately we got a lot of people joining the club who were taken with the romance of paddling on the sea, but when it came down to the actual fact of getting out there and fighting big waves and wind the majority of them decided that wasn’t their scene. The ‘certificate’ requirement had been relaxed basically because it was too hard to enforce once people had been in the club for 6 months or more, and Cecily and I suddenly realised that we had a large club of people who had absolutely no intention of ever going sea canoeing.

In those days the Sea Canoeist magazine was a far better product that it is today - I researched articles from all round the world that had a bearing on the sea, and included bits on weather and navigation, book reviews etc. I had subscribers in England, France, Portugal, Canada to name a few places. I personally printed and posted this for many years at my own expense, and this did a lot to enhance Tasmania’s reputation for serious sea canoeing.

Cec and I called special meetings to try and formulate a policy to steer the club back towards getting out on the open sea. There was a lot of bitter debate, and it culminated in the club deciding it didn’t want to be a specialised sea canoeing club. About this time we had interest shown in joining the club from people living in Launceston, Burnie, and Bridport. As Secretary I organised a club meeting to be held in Launceston so these interested people could attend. This was in conjunction with a planned two day trip from the Batman Bridge to Port Sorell. We had thugs who just drove up from Hobart to attend the meeting, and then promptly drove home again. One thug looked Jeff Jennings in the eye and said “this is a southern club, if you want to join a sea canoeing club you’d better form one of your own”.

These were people that Cec and I had been canoeing with for a number of years, and were counted as our best friends. Cec and I ended up leaving the club - and virtually haven't talked to the ring leaders since.

Consequently I then decided we’d start another club, and tighten up the rules so as to exclude non-paddlers. Jeff Jennings was also one of the founders of this new club - the name and the logo are my design. - The Maatsuyker Canoe Club.

This club may have always been small, but we’ve done trips that most people wouldn’t even contemplate on the regular basis that we do them. Popular opinion is that we’re mad. That’s great. It keeps the un-adventurous people away. People with a sense of adventure will find us - we don’t have to go looking for them. The last thing we need is a recruiting drive. A club paddle across Bass Strait and return? - you must be crazy. But that’s the sort of paddlers we attracted, and did just that in 1987, including a girl who had only been paddling for 3 months and had no supporting or rolling skills to speak of. BUT SHE WANTED TO GO SEA CANOEING. She paddled in 50knot winds for 11 hours, and came out of her kayak about a dozen times on the return trip. She went on to become the club’s most enthusiastic paddler.

Within the first five years we had a person who did not paddle on a club trip for over 12 months, but then came along to the next AGM to plead his case. He was ousted from the club as he had absolutely no valid reason other than he led a busy life and had other things to do. This was a unanimous decision of the club, even Kamikase, who had been doing a lot of private paddling with this person. This person was again one of our best friends, going back to days of the Derwent Canoe Club. He hasn’t talked to Cec and I since.

Cecily and I have given hours and weeks and years of our time to encourage people to get out and paddle - we had to work very hard on Bob Bush last year to get him to come on the Flinders Trip - despite him having almost no experience whatsoever.

I have ripped bulkheads out of boats to accommodate long legged people who wanted to come paddling.

Tilly’s first ever two day trip was from Port Arthur to Fortescue Bay and then Pirates Bay - a trip I did on my own with 3 totally inexperienced novices. And I was absolutely appalled last year when I discovered that ***, with the assistance of 6 experienced paddlers in his group, would not take Steve Dineen in a double - a man that *** knew had paddled round Tasmania is less than favourable conditions. Immediately after that trip, on the Sunday night, I had to ring up Steve and apologise for ***.

It makes me wonder what sort of club we are becoming. It worries me that some people put far too much emphasis on skills, rather than attitude, and I worry about who in the future is going to encourage the people like Bob and Sue and Jamie and Tilly to go and do things without being able to roll or even support properly.

I heard that Jamie going to pull out of the Flinders Trip because of worrying about the reputation of Banks Strait, and I made a special trip down to Triabunna to get him out on the water for a short paddle and renew his enthusiasm. I doubt whether he would be paddling today if I hadn’t.

I have spent an inordinate amount of time over a couple of paddlers this last couple of years, sending one of them this email last December:-

“I don't have ANY TIME whatsoever for people who are not going to paddle regularly, and will fight to the death to get them out of the club.”
I also told this person that I would resign from the club if non-paddlers stayed in it. They just laughed and said they wouldn’t let me do that - they’d make me a life member. I told them I would be too ashamed to accept it.

So my views on membership have been rock solid for 21 years - paddle or else!

Sadly, despite this, people who I once considered to be my friends, I now have to look in the eye and say,
“Thou too, Brutus”.

I have never felt so betrayed in my life.

Maybe it’s time to start yet another club?????????? (With a membership of one?)

Laurie Ford.
Secretary of the Maatsuyker Canoe Club.
Founder of The Tasmanian Sea Canoeing Club.
Founder of the Maatsuyker Canoe Club.
Former Secretary of the Australian Canoe Federation Sea Touring Committee.
Senior Sea Instructor.
 

At the time of the AGM on Swan Island last year we had 14 members (not including a retired life member):-

Jamie Fergusson: First taken out by Laurie Ford, came to Flinders Island at my encouragement. Taught to roll by Laurie Ford.
Sue Shearman:- Did a novice trip with Jeff years ago. Came to Flinders Island at my encouragement. Been to Albatross Island, and South Cape Rivulet on private trips with Laurie Ford.
Bob Bush:- First taken out by Laurie Ford. Came to Flinders Island at Cec & my encouragement.
Martin Gibson:- First taken out by Laurie Ford. Came to Flinders Island at my encouragement.
Grant Hyland:- First taken out by Laurie Ford.
Phil Barratt:- built a Greenlander while staying with Cec & I, did his first trip with me, plus a few other private trips.
Tilly Fergusson:- First taken out by Laurie Ford.
Chris Massie:- First taken out by Laurie Ford. Taught to roll by Laurie Ford.
Sarah Boyle:- encouraged by me to do the Flinders trip.
Ian Johnstone:- First taken out by Laurie Ford. Taken to Three Hummock Island on two private trips by Laurie Ford.
Toby Clark, Mick Verrier, Jeff Jennings, Laurie Ford

We now have another two members:-
Matthew Watton:- First invited on a trip by Laurie Ford.
Steve Dineen:- First invited on a trip by Laurie Ford.

This is  a record I feel justly proud of.

Of the 14 members last year,
4 members did zero trips,
4 members did 1 trip,
1 member did 2 trips,
2 members did 3 trips,
1 member did 4 trips,
1 member did 6 trips,
1 member did 7 trips
(upto, and not counting the last AGM).

This is a record I am ashamed of.

9 out of 14 members did not paddle on 3 occasions or more, and people wonder why I suggested it may be time to disband the club.
Laurie Ford.