He served six years from 1979.

"I grew up with the Aquatic,'' he said.

"I remember the days when you'd count down the time to the Aquatic. I was a competitor then I became involved as a board member and president.''

He was on the board during the festival's golden era of the 1970s and 1980s. And while he'd love to see the festival return, he doubts it will happen.

Mr Ruprecht was commenting on plans by Taree Aquatic Powerboat Club to revitalise the Aquatic, as reported in the Times on Wednesday, October 30.

"It pleases me that people would want to revive the Aquatic,'' he said.

"And as the article said, when you mention the festival, people of our vintage smile. But realistically, I don't think it can be done - not the way we remember the Aquatic anyway.''

The club plans to run the festival in conjunction with its Easter Powerboat Classic.

"I think Easter would be a bit cold for shows at night on the riverbank,'' Mr Ruprecht said, recalling that entertainment on Queen Elizabeth Park was among the festival's highlights.

He also thinks the costs would be prohibitive.

"We paid $3600 for the Jade Hurley Show in 1982,'' he recalled, adding that in 1981 the committee paid $1400, $2650, $1700 and $2000 in successive nights for entertainers, including Coy Joy and the Joyboys.

"And we raised all that money ourselves,'' he added.

He said the Aquatic was run for the community by the community. "It was all run by volunteers who went around collecting sponsorship money and doing all the work,'' he said.

Mr Ruprecht believes the festival began to lose its way when paid promoters became involved, taking some of the profits.

"It started to get away from the community then,'' he said.

Mr Ruprecht added that the organising the festival was a lot of work and took a lot of time. He said the powerboat club - of which he is a member - would need significant outside input to put a program together while also organising the Easter Classic.

"I wish them well,'' he said.

"I'd love nothing more than to be able to go straight to the boy scouts stall and get a pluto pup. But I really don't think it's going to happen.''