As a regional member in my third term of office, I was proud to sit in the NSW Parliament alongside my colleagues who both opposed and supported the Reproductive Health Care Reform Bill because I witnessed our work as legislatures at its best. Respectful, honest and heartfelt debate to ensure that the bill that passed the House was the best it could be, served the people it was intended to serve and reflected the expectations and sentiment of the broader community.

Anti-abortion and pro-choice campaigners protest outside NSW Parliament this week, as MPs debate an historic bill to decriminalise abortion. Credit:Louise Kennerley

For many this was a difficult debate to have with complexities and competing views based on personal experiences, religion and morals but it was a discussion that waswith dynamic soaring.

Ground effect should not be confused with ridge lift when explaining how walkalong gliders stay up. Ground effect involves a horizontal surface. Ridge lift requires a sloping surface. In ground effect the air does not have to move relative to the ground whereas ridge lift requires the wind to be blowing horizontally against the ridge. Walkalong gliders are sustained and controlled in the ridge lift produced by the moving paddle.

History 
The first description of a walkalong glider appears in the 1955 patent of J. E. Grant. The first flight of a functional walkalong glider appears briefly in the Academy Award winning documentary The Flight of the Gossamer Condor.

Walkalong glider design
A walkalong glider must fly at or below walking speed. Light weight materials and specific design will