The 28th ClubsACT Sportstar of the Year Awards were held on Friday 21st October 2011 in The Ballroom at the Woden Southern Cross Club, and Geoff Northam received an award for his boat race officiating. The awards are a glittering annual event to recognise the outstanding achievements of ACT Athletes, Coaches and Administrators, and Geoff has been adjudged the outstanding sports official across all sports in the ACT in 2011. He was presented with an attractive trophy in front of his family, and a packed ballroom of sports identities.
Geoff is a nationally accredited Boat Race Official who is among an elite group of officials who umpire at the National regatta. Apart from filling senior roles at virtually all local regattas over many years, he has been the principal organiser, recruiter, examiner and co-ordinator of our officials for the last ten years.
This role involves negotiating with both the sport’s administrative committee, but also with the many volunteer boat race officials, and co-ordinating their varied activities. Apart from very long competition days, the sport involves a lot of maintenance and planning. Geoff has also assumed the role of safety officer for the association up until very recently. Geoff has been responsible for our sport adopting a safety first attitude to the risks associated with cold water. Apart from drowning, cold water from May to October is the single greatest risk for participants in our sport.