Remember the three legged stool:

It is my very strong impression that there are three major elements that make for a successful hang gliding community. They are: 1) excellent local flying sites, 2) a strong hang gliding club that protects and supports those sites, 3) a dedicated, experienced, and insightful instructor who "feeds the bottom" bringing in new members for the club and community.

The Stanwell Park club now has a new dedicated, experienced, and innovative hang gliding instructor (http://www.warrenwindsports.com/) to compliment the existing long time Stanwell Park area instructors (http://www.hanggliding.com.au/training.htm and http://www.hangglideoz.com.au/tandems.html). It is important that the club foster and encourage the development of new safety oriented students who will become members of their club, by supporting the instructors that graduate these students. A big factor is securing local training sites on the coast (like those available to Tony Barton in Newcastle - http://www.air-sports.com.au/).

Curt is currently successfully instructing and putting competent students through, but look at what has been lost in the last few years:

Sandon Point, NE training site and dune gooning site
Mt. Kierra, NE, thermaling and cross country site, used to have a great ramp
Apple Pie Shop, just north of Stanwell, the RC site, E winds, the best direction for Stanwell
"Sublime", Light S to E winds, a site 10 k from Stanwell, and that has been flown for 30 years.

Instructors can use the valuable assistance of club members (and the HGFA) in securing new sites and opening up sites that were closed in the past. Highly visible sites near beaches are a great asset as they provide training as well as marketing of the sport to those already inclined to be outside and in search of fun.

Part of the HGFA's mission is to support the growth of the sport. It can help this by actively working against any proposed site closures in the Illawara area. It and the Stanwell Park club can work with the local councils (and the new Grand Pacific Drive folks - http://www.grandpacificdrive.com.au/, who are promoting hang gliding as an activity that can be engaged in along this route) to be sure that they are open to making sure that hang gliding instruction has a place at the appropriate beaches.

Bald Hill, Stanwell is an world-class site to fly, but there needs an active effort to preserve and open other sites in the area. The HGFA should see and genuinely support this effort.