Mike Walker

Written March 2006

AKSA and the sport of kitesurfing has developed over the last few years due to the help of many people, most of whom are volunteers giving up their own time and resources for the good of the sport...but one person in particular has been at the forefront of the sports development and progression during this time. Mike Walker has put his heart and soul and even his own money into the sport and the association and AKSA recently decided to present Mike with the first ever Lifetime Membership Award as a token of our appreciation.

It was presented during the Wave Riding National Championships at Caloundra in April where Mike was one of the main organisers. Mike has lived and breathed kitesurfing for over 5 years and has been involved in various aspects of the sport from running a kitesurfing school whilst living in Byron Bay, to organising and hosting a series of national events known as the Australia Kitesurf Tour for a number of years. Mike has been on the committee of AKSA for the past 3 years of which he has been President for 2.

He’s shown dedication and enthusiasm to a sport that whilst faced with massive growth was also faced with regulation, restriction and lack of interest from mainstream society. Time and time again he has put his hand up when others haven’t been able to or weren’t willing and he pulled together the people and developed an ever-evolving vision for AKSA when it was on the brink of collapse a few years back.

Mike keeps people motivated & shows enthusiasm and tenacity when things get tough. He has chosen to take a step back from AKSA this year by stepping down from President to Committee Member allowing him to concentrate on establishing his own business…Active English Teaching Academy - where students get to see Australia while learning our language.

Given Mike’s dedication and commitment to ensuring the sport continually develops and reaches the levels of recognition it deserves we hope he won’t stray too far. For those of you that know Mike and his work, you will understand how important he is to the sport of kitesurfing in Australia and will join us on congratulating him on his award.