Formation and Origins
In November 2005 the idea of forming a national association to represent parkour in Australia began to be discussed amongst a group of Melbourne Traceurs. One catalyst had been the threat of legal action leveled against several members of the Melbourne parkour community – despite their being unconnected with the incident. As events were clarified amongst the potential plaintiffs, threat of legal action faded. However, the possibility of lawsuits left an indelible impression upon those involved. The APA now provides members and instructors with “protection of the members and office holders against personal liability for debts and other legal obligations of the organisation.” Simultaneously, there was also concern that parkour was being inaccurately promulgated in Australia. Globally, there has been significant controversy regarding the philosophical underpinnings of parkour. Amongst those who would later form the APA, there was a strong adherence to the non-competitive and altruistic principles laid down by parkour founder David Belle. According to current APA president Mathew “Chippa” Campbell:
| “ | Basically we had been watching how businessmen were getting in on the top floor and exploiting parkour for their own ends. Doing things for their own gain rather than doing what was right for parkour. We wanted to have an organisation/people representing parkour in Australia who put parkour first and money second as the recognised leader of parkour in Australia | ” |
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—Matthew Campbell, |
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Following discussions initially localised in Melbourne, similar groups in Sydney and Canberra were contacted and quickly included, their contributions refining and completing the concept. On the 21st June 2006 the Australian Parkour Association (APA) was formed and registered nationally in August 2006.
Read more about this topic: Australian Parkour Association
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