30/05/2026
The Commodores Club Person of the Year for 2025/26 went to the entire Bright Family. Congratulations Dan, Amanda, Josh, Chloe, Tom and Amelie! Beautiful family! Amazing volunteers!!
Below is the full speech from Commodore Chelsea Baker awarding the award to the Brights!
It is an honour to present this award tonight, particularly during National Volunteer Week.
As we all know, our club is built on volunteers. Every week there are countless people giving their time, lending a hand, and making sure everything runs smoothly. Because of that, it can be incredibly difficult to single out just one person for recognition.
This award does come with a few rules. It must be awarded to a volunteer, committee members are no eligible, and it should be based on contributions made during the past season.
Now, previous Commodores before me have been known to bend those rules from time to time, and tonight I am about to do exactly the same thing.
The recipient is always there when help is needed. They are often the first to put their hand up. Sometimes you turn around looking for assistance and somehow they are already there before you've even asked.
They never complain, despite helping day after day and week after week.
On Saturday mornings they are helping our juniors get out on the water, organising safety boats and making sure everything is ready to go. They help in the canteen, working alongside Jenny preparing rolls and serving food. They volunteer on our safety boats during regular race days and, when we host major regattas and State Championships, they are there on Friday afternoons after work and back again on Sundays.
During the Javelin National Championships they seemed to be everywhere at once. They spent long days helping both on and off the water, setting up, packing down, assisting competitors and officials, and becoming experts in mark anchor lines.
They help pack up after sailing on Saturday evenings. They are our club first aiders, always available when someone needs assistance, whether it's a minor scrape or something more serious.
The question is: how can one person possibly be everywhere and do so much?
The answer is that it isn't one person.
Tonight, the Commodore's Club Person of the Year Award goes to the entire Bright Family.
Every member of the Bright family contributes in a significant way to our club. From little Amelie, who loves helping in the shop, to Dan and Amanda, who spend countless hours on safety boats, with Amanda also serving as our unofficial club nurse. Chloe, Josh and Tom may all be sailors in their own right now, but they continue to give back by helping with juniors, volunteering on safety boats when they're not racing, and stepping in wherever help is needed.
The Bright family embodies everything that makes Perth Dinghy Sailing Club special. Their willingness to volunteer, their generosity with their time, and their constant support of our members and events make a huge difference to our club.
On behalf of all our members, thank you for everything you do.
Please join me in congratulating the Bright Family, recipients of the Commodore's Club Person of the Year Award.
📷 Yvonne Doherty YD Creative
AmanDan Bright Josh Bright
