Ron receiving his award

HRH, The Princess Royal, President of the RYA, presented the annual RYA Community and RYA Awards at the 2009 RYA AGM  on Thursday 19 November 2009. WRSA member, Ron Clark, was invited to attend the event to receive his Lifetime Commitment Award.

The RYA Awards and Community Awards acknowledge the importance of volunteers within the sailing and boating communities. They recognise the outstanding contributions, time, effort and experience individuals have made to making it possible for others to enjoy boating and sailing, from establishing clubs, committee participation, to boat maintenance and training.  

Forty-nine Community Awards were projected across three categories recognising; Lifetime Commitment, Outstanding Contribution and Youth.  

Ron was nominated for his award, in secret, by Di Wetherell, the club’s commodore. “I was so surprised when I received the letter,” exclaimed Ron Clark. “I was the last person in the whole club to know!”

“Ron has been a member of the 50 year old White Rose Sailing Association (WRSA) for 40 years, by far the longest serving member,” explained Jenny Byers on behalf of the WRSA Committee. “Any problems at all, we always say “ask Ron” and he always understands the problem and what has to be done. We have come to rely on Ron as the ‘father’ of the club and many members do not realise just how much he does and has done over the years behind the scenes. Every successful club needs a ‘Ron’!”

Until recently, Ron’s dedication to the WRSA was mirrored by his wife Patricia who unfortunately died a few years ago. “I would very much like to pay tribute to my wife and the support she gave me over the years,” said Ron. “I would also like to thank Di Weatherell, the Commodore, and her committee. My sister accompanied me to the presentation and The Princess Royal was so nice and very welcoming.”

Ron enjoyed a celebratory lunch and was presented with a commemorative medallion and certificate by HRH, The Princess Royal.  

Rod Carr Chief Executive of the RYA said: “The RYA is delighted to make this award to Ron in recognition of his enthusiasm and promotion of our sport and his years of contribution to the region’s sailing scene. The work and voluntary time that all 49 RYA winners put into our sport is simply outstanding and it is my pleasure to recognise and celebrate this through these awards.”

Saturday 31 October saw a large turnout of boats for the last sailing day of the year. 18 boats entered the day’s racing, which for WRSA in recent years is something of a record. The day was dry with a fair bit of sunshine and the lack of wind did not spoil the enjoyment for those of us that took to our boats. A hot lunch provided by Carolyn, Jane and Terri made a good day even better…… and a special thanks to Carolyn for organising everything whilst the rest of us were out on the water.

Enterprises took the first 3 places in the day’s racing with Andrew Iveson finishing on the same points as Richard Thomlinson and Cameron, but winning overall on the tie breaker of the most number of 1^st places. Drew Lawrence came 3^rd and the leading Mirror was helmed by Pete Tarren in 4^th place. As is the custom, everyone that went on the water received a bottle as a reward for their efforts.

For those members that were not able to get there on Saturday, these photographs will perhaps give you a flavour of what the day was like