here is the email he sent me........

G'day Mike, and greetings from Down Under. Thanks for your invite. I am recovering well from the kiting accident, though it's a long road. We bought a home sauna, which is a great tool to heat the frozen muscles of my locked-up back. Unfortunately, I am now fighting another battle. My company's HR Department are trying to portray me as exercising unnecessary risk in kitesurfing, one of three exclusions in our company provided medical coverage. The other two are suicide, or injury as a consequence of being engaged in illegal activities. If they're successful, the medical bills they're trying to lay on me will be devastating. I propose that unnecessary risk is to give a newly-licenced 17 year old kid a 1000cc motorbike, or hotted up car. In the same way, it would be an unnecessary risk for a newly minted IKO kitesurfer to be kiting strong winds. Given I've been kiting worldwide for two years on many different coastlines in varied conditions, I am putting it to SIA that I am not an inexperienced kiter. To aid my case, I'm asking kiters I know and have kited with if they would scribble a few lines, sending me an emailed appraisal of my level of skill in the sport, who the writer is and where we have kited together, for presentation to the Singaporean HR sharks that're trying to get me to pay for the substantial medical bills. I'd be real grateful to you if you're able to help, though I understand if circumstances prevent you from doing so, for whatever reason. Cheers for now, Dave Devlin.

i'm putting this on kiteforum.com and nzkiteboarding.com.

I think wots happened to Dave sux ass to be honest.

I also think it's a good reminder of how good we have it here in Aotearoa.

The more emails we can get the better.

cheers guys.