Life Member Profile – Rob Walker
Rob Walker was one of the first children to grow up with the Alpine Club of Kiama: his parents Geoff and Barbara were among the original Shoalhaven members of the club. They joined in 1959, within the club’s first year, and the family was soon travelling frequently to Thredbo. Rob skied from an early age and quickly became highly proficient on the snow. He took the opportunity at 18 to become a member himself, and in due course his wife Sally and their children, Adam and Matthew, also joined the club. Towards the end of the major re-building of the lodge in 1983-84 under Fred and Ron Wynn, Rob was employed as a carpenter. By that stage he had already been involved in club working bees at the lodge and his skills had been noted by the club’s leaders. In 1992 he was elected to the board as Working Bee Coordinator (later Property Maintenance Director), a position he was to hold for the next 15 years. In this role he led in the working bees and guided the teams of unskilled volunteers who were involved. During the design process for the major extension at the rear of the lodge and the remodelling of the kitchen and dining area he was part of the club’s liaison with the consultants who arranged the consent documentation. He prepared the workshop drawings for the manufacture of the structural steel for the work and was employed by the club as the project manager for the construction itself. The job was completed on time, within budget and to high standards of workmanship. In 2009 Rob and Sally took up the task of managing the lodge, a job they did for three winters. From working bees to carpentry, design work, planning, construction and management as well as being a member of the board, Rob’s involvement in the affairs of the club has been intense, varied and sustained over a very long period. His passion for the Kiama Alpine Club has always been evident and he has been an invaluable member. He followed his father into life membership in 2012, the first father-son combination to be honoured in this way by the club.