This is may well be the most important article you ever read from the WAKSA crew.

As WA kiters you have one week to assist WAKSA in its campaign to influence the City 
of Joondalup and the Draft Beach Management Plan. We need your assistance now – if our campaign is not successful we may be the facing serious kiting restrictions in Perth, and throughout WA, in the very near future. 



As part of our campaign we have met with the Mayor to express our significant concerns 
about the Draft Plan. We are also planning to meet with individual Councillors to discuss and explain what we believe are serious flaws in the Draft Plan and to encourage the City not to resort to designated kite zones as a management tool.



We advocated to the Mayor that the designated kite zones as outlined in the Draft Plan are 
the least safe and the least appropriate option for the management of kiting generally and that we have specific reservations about the location of the designated zone for North Mullaloo. We explained that whilst WAKSA does not object in principle to the proposed exclusion zones around the Mullaloo and Sorrento surf clubs the Association believes that smaller exclusion zones would be our preferred outcome. We explained that rather than 
having designated ‘kite zones’, it is our preference to have kite exclusion zones – for 
example, no kiting in or near flagged swimming zones. The formal WAKSA submission to 
the City of Joondalup will clearly outline these ideas. 



Thanks to the fact that your AKSA organisation is now run by a board of reps from each state WAKSA can bring you the news hot off the press.

Just in case you didn’t know, the AKSA National Freestyle Championships were held over the week end as a part of the Week of the Wind Festival; which in turn was also a part of the St. Kilda Festival in Melb. 
From all reports the titles event was a spectacular success with the wind cooperating to a degree beyond our most optimistic dreams. A full day of competition on Friday was followed by a few hours of wind on Sat to complete the finals. Normally you would have to be in WA to get that sort of cooperation  ;-)

Well known tourist to WA Toby Bromwich; of sliderjam & Core-Online fame;  was recruited by AKSA as head judge & event coordinator. With his years of experience as a professional PKRA judge and with his hand picked team of international riders working in the judging tent our national titles had a level of professionalism never before seen in Australian competition.

A few Sunday's ago, in somewhat windy conditions, 68 kiters participated in the inaugural WAKSA Charity Downwinder for Redkite.

The day started with kiters arriving before registrations had actually opened – a very encouraging sign, and by the time the bus arrived just after 1.30pm, we had at least 50 kiters registered & kitted out in some wonderful red rashies – a great idea given the event was for Redkite. Kiters were on the water at Leighton by 2.30pm and the first kiter to clock in back at Brighton was at about 3.40pm. The overwhelming majority of the 68 registered kiters were keen enough to do the 14 kilometre downwinder from Leighton back to Brighton, with a smaller number starting later at either Swanbourne or City Beach. With the exception of one enthusiast sporting a 12m kite in 25+ knot winds (must have been one of those kites with ‘exceptional’ de-power probably), everyone made it back safe and sound.