About Typhoon8 in Australia
Typhoon8 in Australia is a small business founded by Daniel Kong. It started as a sports interest at a humble beginning at a Newcastle regatta on 17th January 2004. It has since developed into a small family business managed by Daniel’s parents Fred and Amy. They are a retired couple both with long careers with Fred in Mental Health Services and Amy in fashion & giftware retails.
In between parenting duties for their toddler daughter Carine and another daughter due in March 2010, Daniel’s wife Kim also helps out with the business with her background in graphic arts. Daniel is a Chartered Accountant by profession and is the Group Financial Controller of a large media company based in Sydney Australia. Daniels’s other main sporting passions are road and mountain bike cycling.
Daniel first became involved in Dragon Boating when he was working in Hong Kong on secondment from the PricewaterhouseCoopers Sydney office in 1997. Daniel became involved in PwC’s Dragon Boat crew during his secondment and was immediately hooked by the tremendous physical and technical aspects of paddling – the euphoria of actual competition in the legendary Stanley Cup only acted to cement that passion.
Daniel paddled with PwC for a few years before also joining the even more competitive University of British Columbia Alumni Dragon Boat crew. Meanwhile, during 2002, Lister and Michelle who were both elite paddlers from the Hong Kong Island Paddle Club began to put in place their dream of developing high quality, innovative and above all fun Dragon Boat and Outrigger paddling products that were designed by paddlers for paddlers.
The Hong Kong Action Asia Challenge Adventure race held on 5 October 2003 was, as its name suggests, an adventure race that involves swimming, abseiling, running, and mountain biking. During the lead up to the race Daniel met Lister for the first time through some mutual friends who were helping Lister train for the mountain bike section of the race. Despite Lister finding his “intense” disinclination towards the sport of mountain biking, Daniel and Lister became firm friends and when Daniel finally left Hong Kong in July 2003 he took with him a Typhoon8 wooden paddle to continue Dragon Boat racing in Sydney Australia.
Upon arriving in Australia, Daniel saw that there was also a niche for Typhoon8 products, especially for paddling luggage and paddling shorts. At that time carbon paddles were used mainly by representative paddlers, and wooden paddles were the norm for most club paddlers. From then on Lister, Michelle and Daniel began importing and selling Typhoon8 products into Australia.
Since commencing Typhoon8 in Australia the brand has been a successful and rewarding enterprise and has been met with an immense level of support from both paddlers and the sport’s administrators who have graciously allowed Typhoon8 products to be exhibited and promoted at all major regattas throughout Australia. Daniel travels around Australia promoting Typhoon8 products and he attends all major regattas in Sydney and other states.
In appreciation of this level of support, Daniel accepted nomination to act as Finance Director of Dragon Boats NSW Inc in August 2007. He is also the former President and a Life Member of the Sydney based ACCA Dragon Boat Club.
Typhoon8 in Australia are also one of the proud sponsors of the Brisbane River Dragons and ACCA Dragon Boat Club.
CONTACT DANIEL KONG