Member Contributions

8^th Australian Masters Games

Newcastle and the Hunter

5-14 October 2001

“Hunting Dragons in Newcastle”

14 October 2001

(Article written by Bonita Fong)

What a memorable four days spent in Newcastle between 12-15 October!

In early 2001, I was asked if I would be interested in participating at the 8^th Australian Masters Games in Newcastle in October 2001.  I blindly said “Yes, of course”, without thinking any more about it, and knowing that Michelle Hanton was the other interested person at that stage.

Then suddenly it was August and Michelle was seeking confirmation of my commitment to participate.  The fact that I have never been to Newcastle and hadn’t done any travelling during 2001 was good enough reason for me to want to participate, so again, I blindly agreed to go to Newcastle for the Masters Games.  The next thing I knew, Michelle and I had booked and paid for our Ansett flight down to Sydney, and everything else fell into place.  Then of course we lost our fares with Ansett and had to re-book our trip with Qantas.  What a drama that was!

At the time, the only thing I knew was that we would be paddling with a combined Dragons Abreast crew and that we were going to be billeted with people who kept pet snakes!  We were also informed that the weather in Newcastle was coolish and that it would be wise for us Darwinians to pack our winter woollies.

I had been told not to anticipate any medals as we were not expected to be competitive, so that was my mindset, and I was just looking forward to having a fun time.

It was with great excitement, anticipation and last minute organisation that Michelle and I rocked up at Darwin Airport to catch our 1.25am flight to Sydney.  Many thanks to our taxi driver, Brian.

It was also a nice surprise to find that we were sitting next to one of the Arafura Dragons Paddlers Club members, our very own Ken Frazer, who was on his way to Melbourne.

We arrived in Sydney at 6.30am and were collected at the airport by Caroline Bommer, who was driving down to Newcastle for the same reason as Michelle and myself.  It took us a leisurely three hours to get to Newcastle, during which we enjoyed a tea break at a local nursery along the way.

We arrived in Newcastle at around 10.00am and went straight to Caroline Aherne’s place (where Caroline Bommer was going to be staying).  We managed to fill in the day by having lunch at a local Japanese restaurant and registering ourselves for the competition at Club Nova.  Then it was off to dinner at Hotel Delaney with half of the Dragons Abreast crews.

After a wonderful dinner and grand reunion, Michelle and I went home with Martine Briggs, where we would be staying for three nights.  On entering the house, Martine gave us a quick tour and introduced us to the pet snakes, frogs, turtle and Basil the dog.  Michelle and I were very relieved to see that the snakes and frogs were safely locked up!

Michelle and I had a room each, and I believe we both gladly collapsed into our beds that night.

I was disbelieving when I was told the sun came up at around 5.00am.  Sure enough, as the sunrise is my alarm clock, there I was, awake at 5.00am, washed and dressed by 6.00am.  By the time Michelle roused herself out of her room at 7.00am, I was ready to go back to bed.

After a quick cup of coffee, we headed off to our one and only training session at Throsby Creek.

Prior to the training session, Michelle gave a wonderful and inspiring speech to all the Dragons Abreast crews that were present, at the end of which there were not too many dry eyes left.

After a brief one-hour long and frisky training session, it was time to get ready for lunch and the tour of the wineries in the Hunter Valley.  The lunch and winery tour was a wonderful diversion from the serious business of paddling.

Dinner was a barbecue gathering at Throsby Creek with all participating Dragon Boat crews, which was a great ice-breaker and where I met many wonderful people.

We had to be ready at 5.30am to be at Throsby Creek by 6.00am.  There were fifteen (15) participating crews (mostly corporate).

The Dragons Abreast combined crews included members from New South Wales,  Northern Territory, Queensland and Australian Capital Territory.  New South Wales combined with Northern Territory and Queensland combined with Australian Capital Territory.

The Dragons Abreast crews paddled in the first race of the day, which helped to get rid of some of the nerves.  It was a full day of fast and furious racing for a distance of 250 metres.  The weather was both sunny and overcast, and windy all day, which made for interesting race starts and despite a light sprinkling of rain, it was generally a very good day.

At the end of the day the Queensland and Australian Capital Territory combined crew got first place in the 10’s event and second place in the 20’s event.  The New South Wales and Northern Territory combined crew got second place in the 10’s event and third place in the 20’s event. The combined over 45’s crew got second place for their event (with two teams competing).  What incredible euphoria – receiving medals!

After the end of racing formalities and presentation of medals, it was a mad rush to get home, showered and changed, then back into town for the closing ceremony street party.  Dinner was pasta at an Italian restaurant and a great end to a very long day.

Martine allowed Michelle and I to sleep in till 8.00am on Monday, then it was off to Caroline Aherne’s place for breakfast and to join up with Caroline Bommer for the long drive back to Sydney.

Back in Sydney, Michelle and I managed to kill time before our 6.30pm flight by having Yum Cha in Chinatown and doing the mandatory shopping spree.

Personally, there were many highlights for my first visit to Newcastle, and as a first-time participant in the Australian Masters Games, and the medals were only a bonus.  The main highlight was meeting all the wonderful Pink Ladies, who impressed me with their boundless energy and enthusiasm, who shared their intriguing stories and laughs, and made me feel so welcome and comfortable – I love you all.  I didn’t just have a fun time, I had an unforgettable time.

v     Many thanks to the Newcastle/Hunter Dragon Boat Club for organising and facilitating the Dragon Boat component of the 8^th Australian Masters Games.

v     Many thanks to Michelle Hanton for her ceaseless inspiration and encouragement.

v     Many thanks to Caroline Bommer for driving Michelle and I to Newcastle and back to Sydney.

v     Many thanks to Martine and Martin Briggs for their generous hospitality (I’m so glad the pet snakes and frogs were kept locked up).

v     Many thanks to Caroline Aherne for organising the lunch and tour of the wineries on Saturday, and giving us breakfast on Monday before our journey back to Sydney.

v     Congratulations to all the first-time paddlers who got out there and had a go.

v     Many thanks to all the wonderful Pink Ladies for their efforts in selling the raffle tickets at every available opportunity!

This page last updated: November 6, 2005

for details of your nearest group phone 1300 889 566 National co-ordinator: Michelle Hanton Tel (08) 8941 8923 Website: Jan Skorich Tel: (02) 6241 8061 general address: GPO Box 1948 Darwin NT 0801

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