It is with great sadness that the International Waterski and Wakeboard Federation Oceania Confederation acknowledges the passing of Max Kirwan.
For many years the International Water Ski Federation consisted of three confederations, Pan Am, EAME -Europe etc and AA -Asia/Australasia. The creation of the Asia/Australasia confederation was spearheaded by Max Kirwan when he was the President of Australasia. Max decided to develop the many forms of water skiing throughout Asia. To do this he took coaches and skiers to various Asian countries to demonstrate all facets of water skiing. All trips were funded by the Australasia Confederation. Various countries enjoyed the experience and created water ski clubs and events. Max continued to liaise with them and provided equipment, funding and expertise. Before too long the Asia/Australasian Confederation affectionately known as the A/A Confederation was founded with Max Kirwan as the Chairman.
Max then focussed on exposing waterskiing to a greater audience and managed to be invited to take a Water Ski Show team to the Seoul Olympics. The Ski Show was very successful and well-received by spectators and Olympic officials.
Max’s enthusiasm was fuelled by this success and he proceeded to draft a plan with the IWWF Chairman, Kuno Ritschard to have waterskiing included as an Olympic sport. Hours of effort and negotiation lead to the decision to expand the water ski confederations to five by dividing AA into two confederations Asia and Oceania and EAME into Europe and Africa. Pan Am remained as Pan Am.
Now Waterskiing had five Confederations and a for a short time had a new logo with 5 rings.
The establishment of the Oceania Confederation under Max’s guidance was very successful and resulted in the Oceania Championships where all facets of water skiing congregate at the same venue to conduct their Oceania Championships but more importantly to showcase the best of waterskiing to a wider audience.
In November this year the Oceania Championships will be held at Max’s beloved Mulwala and in particular on the lakes that were built by the club he founded, the Mulwala Water Ski Club.
It would have been wonderful to have seen Max attend the Oceania Championships conducted on the appropriately named Max Kirwan Lakes.
Max is renowned for achieving what seemed to be impossible to achieve. One of Max’s biggest achievements was the creation of the Moomba Masters Water Ski Championships in 1960 on the Yarra River. This spectacular event is envy of water ski competition organisers throughout the world.
