Life Member Profile – Ron Wynn
Ron Wynn did not follow his older brother Fred into the alpine club in 1958, though he had been a visitor to the mountains in his teens and he visited the lodge many times with his wife Val and daughters during the 1960s and later. On one of these visits he found the hot water system to be in a highly dangerous condition and made some temporary repairs, but these were later reversed and the system blew up causing great damage to the lodge and injuries to guests. He wrote a report about the system, and the insurer paid out on the damage and the claims of those who had been hurt. Ron’s greatest contribution to the club came later, though, when with Fred he signed up to build the current lodge. Fred’s death during the construction process left Ron both grief-stricken and in the leader’s role. He saw the project through and managed the integration of the building task with the massive working bee endeavour that accompanied it. Thereafter, he continued to lead the many lodge improvement projects including the catacombs development, the extension to the games room and the development of the managers’ quarters. He also played a significant part in facilitating the telling of the club’s story during the 1990s. His practical knowledge and his contacts in the building industry proved to be of great benefit to the Kiama Alpine Club over many years and he was a valuable source of guidance during his years on the board as working bee co-ordinator and later as vice-president. For his services beyond the call of duty and contract in the building of the lodge, Ron and Val were admitted to club membership free of charge in the mid-1980s: this was unprecedented then and it has never been repeated since, but it was not contentious on the board or amongst the membership at large. Everybody knew how huge his contribution had been, and that contribution continued unabated thereafter. Later, in 2002, Ron became an honorary life member. He died in 2007.