hang glider

The Corryong Cup Hang Gliding Competition concluded on the weekend with 76 pilots vying for the honours. Competitors came from all over Australia and also included international pilots from Norway, PNG, Poland, New Zealand, Indonesia, Austria, America, England, Ireland and Tasmania.

For many, the idea of being suspended at 7,000 feet is daunting, but for a number of hang gliding enthusiasts, it’s the thrill they eagerly seek year after year. It’s all part of “Big K Week”, a competition that draws participants to the Mallee for a week of hang gliding — aimed at developing their skills and achieving personal bests.

The man credited with inventing the modern hang glider, John Dickenson, was honoured by Clarence Valley Council Mayor Ian Tiley at the August council meeting after he passed away aged 89. In the early 1960s Mr Dickenson and a group of water-skiing enthusiasts were working on a ‘kite’ as a stunt to promote the Grafton Water Ski Club’s Jacaranda Festival carnival.