As we draw a close to 2020, we also say a fond farewell to Raewyn Larcombe. Raewyn has been the IRF’s Guide Training & Education (GTE) Administrator since 2009. At the time, the IRF had about 400 certified guides around the globe. Over the next decade this number has grown more than 500%.

Chair of the GTE Committee at the time was Steve Nomchong. He brought Raewyn on board as he knew her and her work with New Zealand Rivers Association (NZRA) and saw a good fit, and he was spot on. Her knowledge of NZRA’s guide training program helped her to understand and manage the IRF’s GTE Award System. Her work with NZRA rafters gave her the experience she needed in dealing with and understanding the needs of rafters around the world, and answering their many questions, which helped her bring a personal touch to the job.

The number of certifications were simple to deal with on an excel sheet in those days, but its massive growth saw her having to deal with more and more complexities, the worst issue was certificate cards being posted around the world and sometimes not reaching the right person.

Having been involved in rafting for so long, and the key driver of the 2013 World Rafting Champs in NZ, Raewyn has been a font of knowledge and assistance at many events. Last year Raewyn was busy beavering away in the background helping out Linda with team logistics, medal ceremonies and generally jumping in with whatever needed doing.

Raewyn is a regular feature at all New Zealand national selection events and many of their guide training safety events. So consumed by rafting is Raewyn, that her son Slee has taken up the rafting passion and is on one of the Southern Valleys Rafting Team hoping to knock “the old boys” off first place in order to race at the IRF Worlds next year!

Fond farewell to Raewyn

Raewyn is one of the fortunate ones in 2020 where the latter half of the year has seen home business grow and as such she is no longer able to commit the time to the GTE role. We thank her for the huge amount of work she has done for the IRF’s GTE Award System over these many years, and wish her well in her busy days ahead.

Raewyn was one of our original River Family and remains a part of our #RiverFamily.

#ThisIsRafting #RaftersAreAwesome #StrongerTogether #oneloveoneriver #RiverFamily #WeAreIRF