New South Wales - Merimbula
Sapphire Water Dragons Abreast
general contact
tel: 1300 889 566
ACTregion@dragonsabreast.com.au (Regional Representative)
or merimbula@dragonsabreast.com.au
SAPPHIRE WATER DRAGONS ABREAST IN 2006-2007
This year has been one of mutual support and cooperation between the two teams that go towards making up the Sapphire Water Dragons. Together we can do great things, both in the world of Dragon Boating and in furthering the aims of Dragons Abreast Australia
SWDA has managed to raise a considerable amount of money to aid cancer support in the local area. We have provided petrol and supermarket vouchers to recently diagnosed women, as well as a few moral-bousting gift vouchers to women who are being overwhelmed by their current situation, on the recommendation of the Oncology Social Worker at Bega Hospital.
We have also just voted to donate $2000.00 towards the setting up a recourse library, to be housed at Dr. A J Collins rooms, available to the community upon request, of books, tapes, DVD's etc to assist any women and their families who are living with breast cancer.
SO WHAT HAVE WE DONE IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS?
In October last year the Tura Beach Country Club and the Sunday Golfers again put aside serious golf for a competition where teams of four played 10 ends of bowls while more teams of four played 9 holes of golf, then lunch was served and the golfers became bowlers and vice versa.
This was an opportunity for complete novices to try their hand at another sport assisted by the very patient golf and bowls Club Members who went out of their way to make all the visitors feel at home All that can be said for the Dragon Boaters is that, as ball players, they make great paddlers!
The members of the Sapphire Water Dragons dragon boat team traveled to Canberra on Saturday 21/10/07 and stayed overnight ready to compete in the annual Dragons Abreast Regatta which is held in conjunction with Pink Ribbon Day.
The Pink Sapphires produced one of the fastest heat times of the regatta, and earned them a place in their divisional final.
The final time was not quite as good as it was in the faster heat, but it was enough for the Sapphires to be awarded the third place trophy amid much excitement.
On Saturday 28/10/06, at 10.30am., twenty eight paddlers set off from Gypsy Point, in "Sukha Yana", and various other personal propelled water craft for a paddle 15 kms. down the lake system to Mallacoota. to raise breast cancer awareness as part of Pink Ribbon Day.
It says something for the enthusiasm and commitment to dragon boating of the thirty seven paddlers and support crew who turned up at Gypsy Point at 9am. on the coldest Saturday of the year.
The temperature was a freezing 6 degrees, the rain was sheeting down, and the wind was howling in the tree tops, but the decision was made to paddle to the first scheduled stop at the Genoa Fire Trail Jetty in the lee of the steep River Bank and rethink the situation.
Top Lake to Karbeethong Jetty was a really hard paddle, and it did require an on-water change of one crew member, which was a new experience for everybody, carried out beautifully.
The Mallacoota District Health and Support Service held a "Pink Ribbon Dinner Dance" for paddlers and locals that night to further raise breast cancer awareness, with all profits form the night ($1600.00) going to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
The Sapphire Water Dragons crew had 14 breast and other cancer survivors paddling. One had yet to start her treatment, and one in 14 years post-diagnosis, all the others are in between, All the other paddlers and support crews have been personally touched in some way by breast cancer. They paddled to show that a diagnosis of breast cancer will certainly be life changing, it may well be life-limiting, but it does not have to be life-stopping.
The Sapphire Water Dragons were in Eden on 4th. and 5th. November taking part in the towns annual Whale Festival.
The team donned their blue club T-shirts for the day and had an ample supply of lollies to charm the crowd. Something worked, because the Sapphire Water Dragons were awarded the prize for "best float" in the procession. Many thanks to Charles Helmore who achieved the impossible with very little.
Unfortunately the Try Paddling session planned for Sunday morning had to be canceled due to the weather but disappointment soon turned to hilarity as eight members prepared to take part in the "Whale Rescue" race, which they didn't win, although they were commended for treating the "whale" with tender loving care and attention as they carried him slowly around the course.
The "Capstan Pull" was hard work, as the group strained to pull an uncooperative "Whale" up the launching ramp, and at the end of the day the paddlers had the fastest time and now have custody of a very original trophy, made by Cedric Cocks, until next year.
The Sapphire Water Dragons were wrapping presents outside Allens in Merimbula in the days leading up to Christmas 2006, with all money raised ($800.00) going to cancer support in the local area. The paper, ribbons were kindly donated by Allens, and the raffle, a basket full of Australian goodies for the Christmas table, was donated by the ANZ bank, in Merimbula. 
Competing in the annual Dragon Boat Regatta held at Sydneys Darling Harbour to mark the Chinese New Year, the team from Sapphire Water Dragons had their best results ever in competition.
Looking and feeling fabulous in their new paddling uniform of jade and fuchsia the 22 men and women competed in the mixed masters category.
Achieving PERSONAL BESTS all races, they gained a place in the final, and with an outstanding performance broke their personal best time from an hour before by over 2 seconds to come a very exciting fourth overall.
The team also competed in the Regional final, for dragon boat teams not based in Sydney. There was no age restrictions in this division and the Sapphire Water Dragons again came in fourth by a cats whisker behind Zen, in one of the closest finals of the Regatta
The Sapphire Water Dragons dragon boat club finished its competitive season on a high note by again doing exceptionally well in the Canberra Festival Regatta in March 2007.
Choosing to compete only in the sprint events on the Saturday, the Sapphires completed seven races over four hours, achieving one first, two seconds, three thirds and a forth in the Open and Corporate categories, and although they did not qualify for the finals the times were consistent personal bests over the 200m. distance.
With the serious competitive regattas behind them, the Sapphire Water Dragons continued with their once a month social paddles exploring the different waterways in and around the Bega Valley.
On Sunday 25 March "Sukha Yana" was towed to Brogo Dam. With 16 on board, and a flotilla of kayaks surrounding the dragon boat, the paddlers set off on a leisurely two hour paddle on this magnificent waterway.
Apart from being paddlers extrodinaire, the Sapphire Water Dragons "do" picnics remarkably well and the spread that appeared rapidly over four picnic tables was well and truly up to standard.
The members of the Twofold Bay Yacht Club and the Sapphire Water Dragons Abreast Team combined forces on Sunday 29/4/07 for a fun sailing day out of Quarantine Bay.
The day was a scheduled "picnic day" for the TBYC members and they generously donated the use of their keel boats and clubhouse, not to mention themselves, so the dragon boaters could raise funds ($590.00) to help Dragons Abreast Australia host the annual, world wide 100% Survivor Regatta in Caloundra in September 2007.
Weather-wise the day could have been better, with very little wind and 3 meter swells on the Bay but at least the sun came out as the boats, crewed by many pink-clad sailors, left the pontoon on a Treasure Hunt that took them to the Eden Wharf, over to the Navy Wharf and then home again.
The swell did have several people feeling a little seedy and their green faces did clash somewhat with the pink theme of the day but they recovered in plenty of time to gather back at the clubhouse for a BBQ lunch, and a trivia quiz.
Each year in May SWD/A lend their support to Images Hair salon in Eden for their "cuts for Cancer" appeal to raise funds for the Eden/Pambula cancer Support Group.
This year, as well as running a raffle and handing out information outside the shop on the actual day, we were invited to take part in a further fund raising initiative, a Nude Calender along with many business women in the area.
SWD/A were collectively Miss December, posed lounging over rocks on a deserted beach pretending to be water dragons, clad only in tinsel and manta hats.
This was quite a "big thing" for some of our survivor members but the finished product is a tasteful and fun filled calender which is very popular with the local community. Sales are still ongoing so actual profits are unknown but the first print run sold out within hours
Also in May the SWD/A paddlers joined with the local community to take part in the first Relay for Life to be held in the Bega Valley. this was a huge success and our contribution of $3000.00 was added to everybody else's for a grand total of $75,000.00 for the Cancer Council.
The SWD/A team also won the prize for having the most number of survivors taking part .. 14.
Sapphire Water Dragons and SWD Abreast member Helen Britten has recently returned from an overseas holiday that included five days in Penang to compete in the 28th.Penang International Dragon Boat Festival.
Joining forces with a team of ladies from Currumbin, Qld., and competing in the Breast Cancer Survivors category, Helen was apprehensive about racing over 500 m. as all her training to date had been for the 250m. sprints.
The Australian survivors team won GOLD in both the 10-man boat and the 20-man boat divisions, as well as winning Bronze in the Senior Womens 10's.
Pat Helmore (seated left on couch) returned from four days in Ballina in June. She was one of 15 ladies chosen from around NSW to be awarded a Department of Sport and Recreation Scholarship entitled "Women in Sport Leaders Program".
This was an all expenses paid, intensive training program covering such things as Team Development, Communication Skills, Presentation skills, Goals Plans and Priorities as well as other interesting bits and pieces ... applying for Dept. of Sport and Rec. Grants and Scholarships for example.
There have been two sad losses during the year:
Graham Bell, one of our early paddlers has passed away. Graham and his wife Merille paddled with us in the club's early days and they kindly donated life jackets to the club to get us up and going.
Alice Wood lost her fight with breast cancer in August. Alice was one of three founding members of the Sapphire Water Dragons and Dragons Abreast, the idea of a dragon boating club in Merimbula being hatched while she and Jenny Kimber sat side by side having their chemo treatment in 2004.
Both these survivors were instrumental in getting our club formed in the early days and their loss is a devastating one to their families, to SWD/A and to the Merimbula community.
Pat Helmore
SWDA coordinator
