Life Member Profile – Howard Waters
Howard Waters followed his older brother David, a keen early-1950s skier, into the club in 1959 at the age of 20. In 1966 he was elected to the committee, becoming a vice-president the following year and president the year after. He served in the top job for three years, the first to do so after the limitation of a single year was lifted: probably, in the aftermath of the explosion of the hot-water system of 1968, the club saw merit in having some continuity in this position through the complex planning negotiations for the re-building of the damaged lodge. Thereafter Howard was at different times the club secretary, publicity officer, club captain, committee member and then president again in 1982. He then returned to the vice-presidency for seven years. Few if any other members of the club have held such a wide range of positions on the committee and board. As president during the late 1960s he was concerned to ensure that the growth in the number of members did not outstrip the capacity of the twelve-bed lodge. During the 1970s he was to the fore in the many discussions about whether the club should build a more substantial lodge in Thredbo or a second facility elsewhere in the mountains, and he was on the sub-committees which investigated the potential of Smiggin Holes and Charlotte Pass as foci for the club’s ambitions. His second term as president was noteworthy for his huge effort in seeing through the bureaucratic processes associated with the planning for the new lodge at Thredbo: on numerous occasions he drove to the mountains to negotiate the development and building applications and other matters. There were also discussions with the architect, the appointment of builders and the application for the bank loan to manage. Howard Waters made a huge and very wide-ranging contribution to the club over many years. In 1993 he was made a life member, but he died five years later at the age of less than 60.