Update 2008 I continued as President for the 2nd year of Queensland Kite Flyers Soc. Inc. It has been very rewarding, but constant.
In January Donna and I travelled to Kingston SE. 340k's south of Adelaide for the Annual Buggy meet. A great time was had by all especially those girls sitting in our Motorhome on the beach drinking a good Red – while we buggied up and down the beach for many kilometres. It sure is a great week, with the thrill of driving a motorhome along the beach, we certainly can't do it in Queensland.
It is always great to go to festivals as you see what other people have bought or made since last time you met. The best part is to see the enjoyment on people's especially the children's faces. They sit in awe underneath some of these big kites.
Buggying – buggying is still the thrill it always was for me, after selling the old Peter Lynn buggy after doing 3600klm (that was recorded) and buying the great Libre V-Max. This is just a great buggy; I get some good times at Murarrie and other places.
My legs sometimes the pain make it impossible to stand for long periods, so it is good to be able to get the big kites up, then fly something else or jump in the buggy and go for a run.
Because of the ban on kite buggies in our favourite Park I had turned to sports kites but because of the extreme pain whist standing still I have turned to single line kites. I have many smaller ones and lately have gone for the specialist ones i.e. Listener, Recovering the Satellites, Tombe, Ron Gibian's Window and Deltas that are great lifters. And then larger Parafoil lifter which flies at about 90 metres then I put up the Dog and Crab or other kites that need a bit of direction. Then bring out many kites to complete my display.
We do little Festivals all over the State from Townsville to Yamba NSW.
Now with many kites it is a real thrill to go to places and help people enjoy the great sport of kite flying. It is a quest to get bigger, better or faster kites. Animals, Birds Deltas, Parafoils, and special kites made by the World's Best!
The QKS is a great Club to belong to as there are just so many varied personalities, with different points of view and agendas. If you want to just fly for the thrill of it or go overseas to compete for your Self, Club or Country, there is always some way of doing it. It was awesome to stand in a large field in China with 450,000 other people!! Trying to Fly a kite.
And to stand on Kuta Beach , Bali , flying a fighter kite (although not well) but they would give you another as your line was cut by another flyer and your kite ended up in the Kuta Surf. This happened many times. So whatever you want to do with kites you can do.
So if you are not a member join us to find out a bit more about the exciting world of kiting, we WILL help you discover your dream.
Hi Res. Weifang
A Long Time Kiting Story
Over 50 years ago my grandfather showed me how to make a brown paper kite, using ¾ inch dowels and string. We used "Clag" glue and the tail was made of scrunched up Sydney Morning Herald.
It flew really high, as I remember, using 2 balls of string. As we lived in Bellevue Hill Sydney, I had to be careful not to be too high on the days when the Sunderland Flying Boats took off in Rose Bay and flew over our house.
The fascination of the power of the wind started then. I constructed a flying fox over about seven of the neighbours houses. One problem was to get the cord over the power lines without being electrocuted. All this so my friends and I could keep in touch. Today kids have mobile phones.
After our move to the Gold Coast in 1993, we bought a take-away food shop & in my spare time I flew a 3 foot span stunt kite. It was fast but became boring, so I bought a 5ft stunter, then a 7 footer in 1995.
In 1997 I met Lachlan Gifford of Skytes, and started to hanker for more power, so I stacked the 5 & 7 footers together.
In our café bistro I had had a really bad time with my legs - circulation, veins stopped moving the blood. The doctors had told me that I would get gangrene and probably loose my legs at the end of '97. I was not prepared to listen to this so I set about to fix my legs. We sold the shop and went house-sitting for a couple of years.
On our annual family visit to Sydney I called in to see Bob Dawson of Leading Edge Kites for a demo fly & bought a Peter Lynn 6 metre Peel. The power was awesome. As we were house sitting at Coolum Beach I had a great chance to fly on the beach. I really had quite a reputation.
I bought a Buggy because if I was to lose my legs I still wanted to fly kites. I bought a 2.2 N'gen because the peel was just too much power in 12+ knot wind.
My doctor is amazed at my progress. The action of walking to & fro without stamping my feet has started to repair the problem. Even in the buggy the exercise is excellent.
I bought a 5 metre water wing because it is more stable in gusty winds, and in the buggy on the beach it really is `something else'.
Now armed with a 3.5 N'gen & buggy on the beach at Coolum or Bribie Island or the Sandgate mud flats, this body really gets a work-out.
This fifty year saga has come a long way.
It doesn't matter what the wind is doing, I can fly, but the body's age is a bit restrictive. Oh! To be thirty again.
In closing, I would like to thank everybody who has helped or advised me, as I would like to help anybody considering this great hobby/sport/pastime. If we can train people to fly these big kites with safety, so as to not hurt themselves or others, we have done our bit.
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