Board member since 2021
Mark is one of Australia’s pre-eminent Documentary and Editorial Photographers. He has run a flourishing business based in Melbourne for over 30 years, with clients including Australia’s leading universities, peak tourism bodies, airlines, banks, corporations, hospitals and architectural practises.
Over the last 8 years, Mark has also returned to the origin of his love of photography by seeking out pro bono documentary projects, that allow him to record the social situations and environments that most challenge and excite him. These projects involved extended periods in Viet Nam, Vanuatu, Fiji, Laos, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and India photographing for Not-for-Profit aid organisations. Refer to www.markchew.com.au for more details.
As a teenager Mark competed regularly as crew in all the Australian Blue Water Classics, and first became a member of the wooden boat community 25 years ago with the purchase of the 1964 Sparkman and Stevens designed COTTON BLOSSOM.
But it was the purchase of his second boat, the 1956 Philip Rhodes designed FAIR WINDS in Auckland that provided him with a vessel ready for both adventure and racing. During his custodianship, FAIR WINDS has crossed the Tasman four times, cruised the South Pacific, explored the Eastern seaboard of Australia and circumnavigated Tasmania twice with a stop at the 2019 Australian Wooden Boat Festival. She has raced in Classic Yacht events in four Australian States and three different countries. And during all this, she has undergone a gradual but full restoration.
In 2002, Mark became President of the Classic Yacht Association of Australia, and only resigned in 2013 to spend more time sailing. During his Presidency the membership of the Association tripled, and the number of boats on the register doubled. Mark also founded Australia’s most popular multi day Classic Yacht racing event “The Cup Regatta”. It was established as a reciprocal event to New Zealand’s “Anniversary Day Regatta”. 2021 will be the 16th consecutive year of the event, involving a fleet of over 30 wooden boats.
Mark is currently part of a small syndicate involved in the complete restoration of Port Phillip Bay’s most successful ever racing Keelboat, the 1937 Knud Reimers, Huon Pine, Tumlaren YVONNE.