Thousands of tourists, locals and boat racing enthusiasts descended upon Victoria Park boat ramp for Moama Water Sports Club’s 60th anniversary Southern 80 celebration.
With the sun shining and the sky blue, you would’ve thought it was the perfect day to be on the water, but supporters still showed out in force to get a glimpse of waterski history on Saturday, March 22.
With more than 100 boats on display spanning 60 years of Southern 80 history, there was plenty to see for the keen observer or simply someone looking for a fun day out.
Moama Water Sports Club president Steven Shipp outlined some of the more historically notable boats featured at the event, as well as the strong link between family bonds and waterski racing.
“There are some quite historically significant boats here on show Stiletto, which was racing in around 1965, it is just a family boat that they took racing,” Shipp said.
“Cinders is another little boat that is local, Lenny the owner was local just before he died, but his boat is living on here in Echuca with Peter Ralph.
“I think that is what the sport is about, being able to leave a boat behind that still can be carried on and still raced after you’re gone, so that is really special.
“People talk about where they started and who they started with, and you hear a lot of family stories where you have grandkids who ski and race and they may be third generations now.
“It is a tight-knit community and we are all a big family, so it is nice to see everyone and for people to be able to come and appreciate something we are all so passionate about.”
The boats weren’t the only thing on the menu, with plenty of food and beverage carts to keep the crowds happy.
Shipp emphasised the club’s surprise at the turn-out and the joy of seeing so many attendees interested in celebrating a milestone for the sport.
“The crowd here is a fair bit more than we expected, we are quite impressed with the amount of people we have here today,” he said.
“We are really impressed with the boats and the amount of effort people have put into them and all the great displays.
“Seeing everyone interact with the boat owners and getting to know the history has made it a great day and a fantastic way to celebrate our 60th year of racing.
“It’s lovely to see so many people out and about and the amount of support that has been shown to us has been monumental.
“It’s definitely a special way to bring up an important milestone.”
As well as all the attractions available to see at the boat show, the club was able to get some clarity of when ski racing in NSW and Victoria may be reinstated.
“Tim Pickford is on the board of Ski Racing Australia, and he’s a local, so we just had a bit of a chat on the microphone before providing updates for when we may be back racing again,” Shipp said.
“We are hopeful to be back doing circuit races in September and then probably do the Beehag like normal if we can in November.
“That’s where we see Victoria headed at this stage.”
Shipp ultimately highlighted the intention behind the event outside the anniversary celebration and was thrilled with the state of the sport during a challenging time for the waterski racing community.
“It’s about keeping our name out there, keeping the event alive and keeping interest in the sport until we can get back out racing,” he said.
“We know it’ll come back eventually, but we just want to keep the focus on it until we can get back on the water.
“For us, it is important to be here today and be able to celebrate our history with all these people.”