2017 - 18 John Longley

2016 - 17 David Kellett AM

David has participated in the Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race 41 times and the past 15 years has been an integral part of the safety network. 

2015 - 16 Alistair Murray

Alistair's extensive contribution to sailing was recognised with Australian Sailing’s Lifetime Achievement Award.  Murray was honoured with the award for the impact he has made on the sport over many decades. In 1976, Murray started a long relationship with Ronstan and just this year has seen him step down as Managing Director, a role he held for 19 years. His connection remains with the company as he takes over as Chairman and is part owner of the business.

2014 - 15 Bill Buckle OAM and Robert 'Bob' Oatley AO

Bill started sailing aboard a heavy, 10ft clinker dinghy which his father had rigged for him. His early career paralleled that of his best mate Bob Oatley and while the pair were mates, they were also great rivals when they competed in 12ft skiffs at the Middle Harbour 16ft Skiff Club in the early 1940s.
At age 19 and 17 respectively, Bill and Bob formed what would become the Balmoral 12ft Sailing Club. The Club prospered and soon had a fleet of 15 12ft skiffs racing each year. Now called the Balmoral Sailing Club, it celebrated its 70th anniversary this year >> Full Citation

Bob Bob Oatley’s love affair with sailing started in his early teenage years when he purchased a flimsy 11ft canvas-covered canoe for two shillings and six pence, rigged it with a garden stake for a mast and a bedsheet for a sail and then launched himself onto the high seas off Balmoral beach on Sydney Harbour.
Bob started racing 12ft skiffs with Bill Buckley when he was 15 years of age before setting up the Balmoral 12ft Sailing Club in 1945 with his friend. The club has recently celebrated its 70th anniversary.  In 1967 Bob joined Middle Harbour Yacht Club and began racing a Yachting World Diamond. His commercial activities however – the coffee industry in New Guinea and the development of the Rosemount wine business in the Hunter Valley – meant that he couldn’t sail as often as he would have liked >> Full Citation

2013 - 14 John Calvert-Jones and Bill Gale 

John has made a significant contribution to sailing in Australia, not only as a sailor himself but also as a great supporter of the sport. In 1973 after winning the Australian, Victorian and British National Flying Fifteen Championships, John went onto an extremely successful offshore and yacht racing career. John was the Chairman for the Australian Sailing Team’s Patrons Program from 2009 - 2014. The Patron’s program raised over $1 Million for Australia’s unstoppable London 2012 campaign. In 2013, John received an Order of Merit from the Australian Olympic Committee for his contribution to the sport of Sailing.

Bill has established an unassailable bench mark for yacht racing in Sydney Harbour for the last 70 years. Bill has been a major influence in the maintenance and promotion of wooden boat sailing, whether it be skiff or displacement yacht. Apart from his long time membership of Sydney Amateur Sailing Club, Bill has been a Patron of the Sydney Flying Squadron, promoting the building of replicas of famous 18ft Skiffs, which now race again on Sydney Harbour. Without his enthusiasm, persuasion and badgering, many classic boats and yachts would have been lost, and thus Bill is considerably responsible for the maintenance of Australia’s sailing heritage. In 2006 Bill was awarded the Order of Australia for his contribution to this cause.

2012 - 13 Sydney Fischer and Ian Grant

Syd Fischer was acknowledged as one of Australia’s greatest ever yachtsman, his sailing career spanning a record 44 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Races. He self-funded a record five America’s Cup campaigns and captained Australia to win at the Admiral’s Cup and Clipper/Kenwood Cups. Syd Fischer was also credited for launching the America’s Cup careers for many sailors, including Iain Murray and James Spithill.

Renowned sailing journalist Ian Grant’s work in championing the sport included time with several Queensland news outlets, amongst others the Brisbane Courier Mail and several sailing publications and online news channels. Grant, who passed away earlier this year, was also passionately involved in radio reporting of sailing events such as the Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race, Airlie Beach Race Week and Hamilton Island Race Week.