Mark Shows The Way
Illawarra Mercury
Tuesday March 13, 2001
First cab off the rank in the Illawarra game fishing scene many years ago was the Wollongong Game Fishing Club. Early last year came the Shellharbour Game Fishing Club and now we have the Kiama Game Fishing Club.
With three game fishing clubs in the region, black, blue and striped marlin, along with yellowfin tuna, albacore, kingfish and sharks, are sure to get a bit of hurry-up from Illawarra anglers in the near future.
Founder and inaugural president of the Kiama Game Fishing Club Mark Way needs no introduction to the Illawarra game fishing scene. He already has the runs on the board in the game fishing record department.
Way placed Kiama on the world fishing map years ago by capturing the largest shark ever caught on a rod and reel in the Illawarra region, a 487.5kg tiger shark.
Records are a way of life in the Way family, as wife Virginia holds a world record for a 149kg blue shark she caught on a mere 8kg line.
``Kiama for a long-time has been recognised as a South Coast tourist destination, for its coastal village atmosphere, clear, clean water, surrounded by picturesque scenery," Way said.
``The Kiama hospitality industry has grown to accommodate the big influx of tourists that travel from all over Australia and the world, to visit the region.
``Coupled with an excellent launching ramp and associated facilities like bait and tackle shops and boating suppliers, Kiama's harbour augurs well for future game fishing tournaments."
The Kiama Game Fishing committee have already penciled in the inaugural open tournament for a weekend in April 2002, a tournament to be known as ``The Blowhole Big Fish Classic".
The new club has also come up trumps with the appointment of Peter Goadby as club patron.
Goadby is a legendary world renown game fisherman and author of many fishing books and a feature writer with some of Australia's leading fishing magazines.
``We are very proud to have Peter Goadby as our patron," Way said, ``He knows the value of Kiama as a game fishing springboard, having fished the surrounding blue waters for years," Way said.
Club meetings will be held on the first Friday of the month at the Kiama Leagues Club, with the next monthly meeting set down for Friday April 6 at 7.30pm.
The inaugural Kiama Game Fishing Committee includes Deborah Cameron as secretary; Brett Cooper as vice president; Ian Borland, treasurer, who along with Mark Way (president), make up the executive.
Other committee members include Trevor Newcombe, the Kiama Harbour representative, Samantha Cooper as newsletter editor, Geoff Rogers as the safety officer, Virginia Way, the recorder and Greg Cameron, the weigh master.
Normal membership is now available at a cost of $45 for seniors, juniors $15, a husband, wife, or partner, team for $80 and a family package at $90.
For the old salts who don't find time to fish any more and the partners of active anglers of the club, there is associate membership of the club available for a mere $5.
The ones who join this elite social group will be known as the Kiama Ramp Rats a team that no doubt will make an excellent cheer squad during inter-club tournaments.
This is your chance to join your children up as inaugural members of a game fishing club that could well be the envy of game fishing clubs along the Australian eastern seaboard in years to come.
For more information please contact Mark Way on 0242377865 (ph/fax), mobile 0427377865 or e- mail: mywayfishn@telstra.easymail. com.au>.
© 2001 Illawarra Mercury