Resolution 6:

The Board nominates Geoffrey John Henke for election as a life member of Ski & Snowboard Australia Ltd in accordance with Article 4.14 of the Company’s Articles of Association.

Few would deny that Geoff Henke is the true father of winter sport in this country. He has had a lifetime of involvement in the Australian snowfields and the Australian ski industry in general. His commercial involvement has spanned retailer, lift company operator and developer. Geoff is most often associated with the highly acclaimed development at Dinner Plain which took ten years to emerge from bush land and now boasts in excess of 4,000 beds.

Geoff Henke’s contribution to our sport defies brief description! It stretches back to the early 1950’s and continues beyond today. Key roles, achievements and recognitions include the following.

Order of Australia 1999
IOC Olympic Order 1998
Chef-de-Mission, Australia, Winter Olympic Games 1976 to 1994 (six tours!)
FIS Councillor since 1992
AOC Vice President and Member from 1985 to 2001and currently Honorary Life Member.
Chairman of the OWI since 1998
Honorary Life Member of VOC since 1992
Member of both the Melbourne (OG 1996) and Sydney (OG 2000) Olympic Bid Committees
President Australian Ski Federation 1983 to 1989

In all roles, Geoff has brought a unique level of vision and infectious enthusiasm.

There is little doubt of Geoff’s outstanding contribution to winter sport Administration and to the development of the role of Skiing Australia and its sporting partners. On this basis, the Board is confident that Geoffrey John Henke is worthy of election to life membership of SAL and commends this Resolution to members.


Resolution 7:

The Board nominates Malcolm Milne for election as a life member of Ski & Snowboard Australia Ltd in accordance with Article 4.14 of the Company’s Articles of Association.

Malcolm Milne was easily the finest Australian skier of his era. Malcolm was nineteen when he went to his first Olympics, at Grenoble, France, in 1968. Those Games were dominated by the great French skier Jean-Claude Killy. Milne raced well in the downhill to finish twenty-fourth of eighty-six starters, with a time only 5.51 seconds behind Killy. This was by far the best Australian Skiing result in any Games to that point.

Milne later joined a French team in Europe, and during one golden season in the winter of 1971-72 won a World Cup race at Val D’Isere, France, then won a United States title race at Bear Valley, California; he also finished third in a World Championships. He was expected to do well at the Olympics at Sapporo, Japan, in 1972, but suffered a cartilage injury to his left knee which threatened to cause him to withdraw. He didn’t withdraw, and recovered superbly from a near fall which, of course cost him any chance of a place.

Milne’s success over a number of European winters encouraged the Australian Ski Federation to find the money to send a number of young hopefuls to Europe. One of them was Steven Lee.

The Board considers that the contribution Malcolm Milne has made to the sport by becoming the first World Cup medal winner in Australian winter sports history, and the subsequent impact his performances have had on future athletes make him worthy of election to life membership of SAL and commends this Resolution to members.