Paddle Australia is pleased to announce the election of Andrew Trim as President following the AGM and first meeting of the new Board at the National Paddling Forum on the Gold Coast over the weekend.
Trim has served on the Paddle Australia Board since 2020, and will step into the role of President after serving as Vice President under Andrea McQuitty’s leadership.
Trim’s involvement with paddling began as an athlete, representing Australia at the Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 Olympic Games in the sport of Canoe Sprint. He won Olympic bronze in Atlanta 1996 before going on to win a silver in the men’s K2 500 at home in 2000.
After retiring as an elite athlete, Trim remained heavily involved in the Australian sporting sphere, serving as President of the Queensland Olympians Club from 2017 – 2022 and is the Vice President Finance of the Queensland Olympic Council.
Trim said it is an honour to be appointed President of Paddle Australia at such an important time for the sport, on the green and gold runway to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“I’m really excited, there’s obviously big shoes to fill, but I think the next four years is a really exciting time for Paddle Australia,” Trim said.
“We’ve got Paris next year then we run into LA and Brisbane 2032… but across all our disciplines – we’re a big sport – we have the Ocean Racing World Championships this year, and we have Slalom World Championships in 2025 in Penrith, so we’ve got a lot of really exciting things coming up.”
As the newly appointed President, Trim said he was excited to finalise the board structure, and welcomed the new members; Jamie Roberts OLY and Bob Turner, who were both elected to the board at the AGM on Saturday.
Tokyo 2020 Canoe Sprint Olympian Roberts has held a number of positions within the paddling community, including Vice-Chair of the Athletes Commission, National Team Selector and coach. With her experience as a secondary school teacher and in the mining industry, along with a deep understanding of the high performance environment, she brings a valuable skillset to her new Board position
With 17 years experience in the Australian paddling scene, Turner joined the Paddle Australia National Marathon Technical Committee in 2013 and has been involved in the delivery of every marathon national championships since. He joined the Paddle NSW board in 2015 and was Chair from 2017 – 2022.
“It’s terrific to have Jamie on the board because she brings a different voice. We’ve got a young athlete who has just finished her career, and she’ll bring a different perspective to the rest of the board, which is really exciting.” Trim said.
“Then we have Bob at the other end of the spectrum having spent his entire life building businesses and now, through his volunteer work with Paddle Australia, he’s built a really impressive network within our sports and events, and he’ll bring another voice that’s a different view to the board as well, I love the diversity on our board,” he said.
Trim recognised the incredible legacy of outgoing President Andrea McQuitty and thanked outgoing Director Robert Pickering, who has stood down from the Board after three years service.
“On behalf of the paddling community I would like to thank the outgoing President Andrea McQuitty for her service and enormous contribution to this sport, as well as Director Rob Pickering who is stepping down from his role on the Board,” he said.
“It’s hard to put into words the way Andrea is appreciated by this sport. Where she’s brought the sport from when she came on board, to where she finished is quite an incredible journey and we thank her with all our heart, she’s done a wonderful job and we wish her all the best.”
Read more about Andrea’s Paddle Australia Life Membership and stepping down from the PA Board HERE.
