(Branch of the Australian Hovercraft Association Inc.)
52 Utrecht St., Cornubia, Queensland 4130 Australia.
Visit us at hovercraft.org.au/qhc/
or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/2209571185779572/?ref=share.
Membership subscription is $50 to Queensland Hovercraft Club. ANZ Bank. BSB 014 203 Acct 4377 96152
Or alternatively, please pay the treasurer Phil Audsley, or Secretary Steven Odgaard at our next meeting or rally.
We are a group of about 20 recreational hovercraft owners based in Brisbane and include 6 interstate & international members.
Our local club is a member of the Qld Recreational Boating Council (QRBC) which consists of representatives of most organisations & government departments which are concerned with marine activities, including Transport & Main Roads, Maritime Services Qld, Water Police, Qld Parks & Wildlife, Fisheries, Marinas, fishing, boating, jetski, & hovercraft clubs.
The original group was first formed about 1967 then incorporated as the QSH club in the eighties.
Our memberships average age is probably mid to late fifties. Our youngest member is in his teens, oldest is a close competition between many over 60 years of age.
Many of our members are either professionals (a pilot, an aircraft engineer, a petroleum engineer, an electronics engineer, a mechanical fitter, a teacher, a mooring-inspection diver, a share-trader), or other self-employed small business owners, & retirees.
Several members have been utilising hovercraft since before 1963. At least 2 current members were running the Expo88 hovercraft joyrides on the Brisbane River which set a Guinness Book record. Peter Venn in particular has had a well publicised professional career with his commercial-surveyed twin engined craft. He was also the 2011 recipient of the World Hovercraft Excellence Award from the World Hovercraft Federation. A well deserved & prestigious recognition of his past achievements. (The first was awarded to the inventor of the hovercraft, Sir Christopher Cockerell, & only a handful have been awarded since the 1990’s), & have been involved in flood rescue, environmental, & other survey work all over Australia.
We have on-line “virtual” monthly meetings via Zoom which were instigated with the CoVid-19 outbreak, but normally they are held at 7pm on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at the Coopers Plains library, 107 Orange Grove Rd., Coopers Plains, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, where the next rally is planned, & technical talks are given informally.
Our monthly rallies are an informal get-together where our craft are often featured in “show & tell” discussions about recent refinements to noise-level reductions, fuel consumption & performance improvements etc. We then generally pick a cruise destination which depends on wind & tide conditions on the day, then go cruising for anything from 10 minutes to several hours.
Our member’s interests are also very diverse, & their craft are used not just for cruising, but also for fishing, crabbing, diving, camping, touring, & generally just “mucking around in boats”.
Mainly because of our ages, we are a social touring group who aren’t interested in racing, time-trials, acrobatics etc. Several of us also own trailer-boats or moored vessels.
QSH also hosted the Australian Hovercraft Federation (AHF) national rally, as well as the Qld state rally at Lake Coolmunda in 2017 & 2018. Craft came from as far as Victoria, South Australia, & W.A. for the long weekends.
Unfortunately, even though we are registered as normal trailer boats & only require a normal speed-boat license, we are treated as “Managed Vessels” by the Qld Parks & Wildlife Service (Department of Environment & Science formerly NPSR – National Parks, Sport & Recreation). This means we need an extremely restrictive permit to travel in the Southern Moreton Bay Marine Park (SMBI) which surrounds us. Our club has been trying unsuccessfully to educate them & negotiate some common-sense regulations but we have been increasing public awareness about this highly discriminatory treatment.
We also help with CoastCare clean-ups & “Clean Up The Pin” (Jacobs Well Fishing Club), but the department’s permit conditions prevent us from landing on most of the islands to pick up all the rubbish!
Thanks for your time,
Steve Stephens
QSH Publicity Officer
40 Lea Weena Ave.,
Russell Island,
Qld 4184
vk4khq@ozemail.com.au
07 3409 1135
0408 743231