Australian Capital Territory
PO Box 7191 Yarralumla ACT 2600
tel: 1300 889 566
ACTregion@dragonsabreast.com.au (Regional Representative)
or canberra@dragonsabreast.com.au

Media - (click on images to enlarge)

Capital Times - Gecko Launch (above) Canberra Times - Gecko Launch - below	Canberra Times March 5 2008
Canberra Times 8 November 2007	Glasshouse Country News 26/9/07
Canberra Times 11 September 2007	Canberra Times 8 September 2007
June 2007	Canberra Times 30 November 2006
The Chronicle December 5 2006	Canberra Times 23 October 2006
	above - Capital Magazine January-February 2006 left - Canberra Times 15 January 2006 Canberra Times 27 Feb 2006 - for more on swimming kangaroos see the powerpoint presentation here
Chronicle 6 December 05	Amazon Heart - Canberra Times 26 November 2005 Lyn Langer and Amelia Thiedeman on their way to Sri Lanka for the Amazon Heart project. Click on image to read full story. Note: the article implies that donations paid for Lyn and Amelia's travel expenses, which is untrue : Amelia and Lyn have paid their own way, for both travel and accommodation, and all donations go towards the project.
	24 October 2005
Canberra Times 1 November 2005	City News 6 May 2004
	21 August 2004 Canberra Times
	Canberra Times 14 September 2005
Chronicle April 2005
Canberra Times: 10 Nov 2003 - click on image for full story
	26 October 2003
From Canberra Times August 21 2003	From Canberra Girls Grammar Report December 2002
6 March 2002	10 March 2000
from "Capital" Magazine, December 2003, launch of "Warrior Women" Exhibition
	Canberra Times 30th October 2003
The ACT Dragons Abreast team was featured on ABC television news on 31 August 2003 during a "Come and Try" session on Lake Burley Griffin
From The Chronicle 25 November 2002	25 October 2002
9 May 2002	1 October 2000

Transcript, Stateline, ABC TV, 24 October 2003

Getting breast cancer led these amazing women to discover fun, fitness and friendship in an amazing way. They are the members of the Dragons Abreast team - their dragon boat team about to compete in the Masters' Games to be held in Canberra shortly.

Their message: Have a mammogram.!

ANNA: its fantastic...we've become by default a floating support group...we have a lot of laughs, a lot of tears....its an entree to a world wide club...we have people calling in from round Australia, Canada, America...they just look up our site and ring...can we have a paddle...its the same round Australia as well...a great sense of belonging to a group.

JAN ...13 years ago...still in my 30s...I had all the treatment...I've recovered now...I joined when it started...it's great for all of us
we always say we don't want new members in a way cause it means that they have to have had breast cancer, but anyway...if these things happen to you at least you can do something positive with your life!

I was diagnosed in Feb 2002...it's been really important...great...physical activity...mentally...fabulous...spiritual lift!!!

AMELIA: April 1 I started with the crew and it's been wonderful...when you're out on the lake all your troubles just disappear....I wanted to join when I saw them Canberra Day last year, I wanted to join the pink ladies....few months later I got my breast cancer...it was awful but here I am...just wonderful...
I've had a few friends who've been quite sick and another who's recently died so it touched me.

We do something very special...we come down to the lake, we bring flowers, paddle to the middle, stop the boat and i often read a poem...reflect on the life of the person whos either died or had a rediagnosis, and we float the flowers on the water and just sit silently for about a minute...it's very spiritual, very powerful...the silence is very very special...and we also celebrate as well...we celebrate the good things...we remember not just local people, we hear news of people even overseas and we'll just stop that boat and we'll think about how lucky we are on this beautiful lake...its amazing out there...

POEM...today well spent makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow....

I think they are more and more...sadly its gone up to 11'000 women, 2 years ago it was 10'000...now its 11,000, the good news is the mortality rate's about the same, that's steady so that means perhaps that people are being diagnosed earlier...more people are presenting to have mammograms earlier, and thats why the numbers are higher...

28 is our youngest to 72!! I guess the average age is about 55...but that's really good...age doesn't matter, and physical fitness doesn't matter...I'd probably be one of the most unfit on the boat...but it doesn't matter...we all get in and have a go...we do our damnedest to....raise awareness too, thats what we're trying to do as well...

LYN: only 3 weeks...I've just moved to Canberra...heard about the group...thought this is the perfect way to meet new friends...have fun....Saturdays and Sundays are the highlight of my week!!
Feb..1999...it's nice to know that life goes on after breast cancer....nice to be out and physical , and healthy and happy!!

You're either a lefty or a righty...I can't paddle on the left, my surgery's been on the left or the right...some people can paddle both sides, I'm a lefty and...it does imrove the upper body strengh actually and thats why most of us do it...it takes time, but we're not there to compete, we're there to have fun and we're there to support one another...we like winning, love the adrenalin rush of winning a race but thats not the important thing...it's just to get out there and be with women that have experienced breast cancer and getting on with doing something that's a bit outrageous actually!! and really good fun!!

MARION: I've been part of this group for 3 years now...very first paddling when I was having chemotherapy...Its' made me realise there's a positive aspect to getting breast cancer as well as the negative...had a chance to represent my country...never in my wildest dreams would have thought that I would represent my country in any sport...a real buzzz...and I've made so many good friends out of this!!

Come down and join us...anyone who's had breast cancer...join with some zany women...with diverse backgrounds, diverse ages....just a wonderful bunch of fun loving women!!

From the Canberra Times

Anna Wellings Booth was amused by the complaint from Governor-General Peter Hollingworth whose ears have been offended by the "exuberant language" of Canberra's rowing fraternity.

At his direction a message was sent to the ACT Rowing Association asking them to tone it down.

Anna is from the Dragons Abreast group of women who have had breast cancer and who paddle their dragon boat around the bend from Yarralumla.

"If the Governor-General's residence were located a little more to the north-east," she says, "Dr Hollingworth might not be so offended by words beginning with the sixth letter of the alphabet.

"He would hear, and see, the Feisty, Fabulous, Fearless Dragons Abreast crew in their Fuchsia tops showing the Face of breast cancer to all.

"Neither Feckless nor Feeble Femmes Fatales are they - they Fete their Friends; Ferret For Funds; Find Funky Followers and Fumble Foolishly as Friendly rowers Flash by Focussing their Flotilla Forward with ne'er a Forbidden Foul!"

This page last updated: September 23, 2008