Congratulations Rupert Leslie for achieving the Life Membership at the SoPYC!
Rupert Leslie joined the South of Perth Yacht Club on the 23 June 1986 and joined the Management Committee in 1988 working on several portfolios taking up the Treasures role 1991 through 1991, he then stepping up to Vice Commodore finishing his term as Commodore in 1999. Over this period, he sailed his S80 winning many state and club championships he also tried his hand at ocean racing with Garth Curran. In the early 2000 he stepped back in to Off the Beach fleet in FF15’s and then testing his body in vipers, he can now be seen at the controls of his DF95 radio-controlled Yacht on the pond.
There was another side to Rupert in that he is a passionate club member always contributing. In his early days on Management and with our pens looking the worst for ware he put a proposal to Management to construct a new start/ fuelling jetty and the replacement of the then “A” jetty this included the budgets and loan repayments plan. This work was carried out on time and on budget with the club servicing the loan in a timely manner. Then there was the jetty 3 and western hard stand project that he was heavily involved in, then moving onto the eastern works area and jetty 4,5,6 & 7 project as we see it today.
While these projects were progressing, he was and still is a member on the Finance Committee and was heavily involved on the riverbed lease defence and land tax issues. In the last few months Rupert has spent many hours on a proposal to construct Jetty 8 and associated dredging, there is also a proposal to replace the decking and wave attenuators on jetty 1, in conjunction with repairs.
Rupert also sat on the board of Yachting Western Australia then took up the Presidency before moving to the board of Yachting Australia now Australian Sailing, he was also the Volunteer Coordinator at the ISAF world titles in 2011. This only a small look at the energy and hours Rupert has given to the club.
