At the luncheon with our Mentor Frank Lange  and his wife Nora

Back row -  Sigrid Browne, Denae Bunow (local lass who won the Miss World Australia and she presented the Appreciation Certificate to Heather), Di Laundess, our Mayor Arthur Frauenfelder (with his Brave Hearts cap on), Gail Sutciffe, Michelle Hensell. Front row -  Lois Salzke, Robyn Daly, Thelma Wright, Jodie Hart and our Wonderful Sweep Heather Larkin.

HISTORY OF BRAVE HEARTS DRAGONS ABREAST

The idea of a group of women with no carpentry skills, building a dragon boat, was non-existent within our Support Groups. Our desire was to buy a dragon boat, which was suddenly possible due to the huge success of our Brave Hearts calendar, which raised thousands of dollars.

So, after posing nude we were to be rewarded, we thought, with the huge pleasure of spending some of the proceeds on a dragon boat which we could all learn to paddle together and race at regattas. We'd all heard of the very successful national organisation, Dragons Abreast Australia, of Breast cancer survivors thoughout Australia and the world, who have found the exercise of paddling very therapeutic after Breast cancer surgery and treatment. Getting in a 12 metre boat which carries 22 people including a Drummer and a Sweep and then co-ordinating strokes in a fashion to propel it though the water is the ultimate team sport. This exercise and team spirit is extremely beneficial to cancer survivors.

Upon hearing of our desire to buy a dragon boat for our local cancer Support Groups, a man named FRANK LANGE threw himself tirelessly into the cause, despite having no previous connection to us. We first met Frank on the 26th APRIL, 2005, at one of our 'Young Hearts' meetings, a support group for the young and young at heart cancer survivors, predominantly Breast cancer. Frank saw huge potential for our group and presented us with a wonderful opportunity to actually build our own boat. He recognised that this process would be therapeutic and empowering for all involved. As he spoke, the growing enthusiasm was obvious on the faces of the women who moments before had viewed building a boat as an impossibility. By the time Frank finished explaining how the NSW TAFE Riverina Institute, Albury Campus, was willing to take us all on as student boat builders and how he was certain that we could build a dragon boat, it was unanimous. The journey had begun and BRAVE HEARTS DRAGONS ABREAST was born.

We divided into two groups of cancer survivors with a few supporters to make up numbers in the event that illness prevented attandance; a Tuesday night group and a Friday group and every week we gathered for classes in Occupational Health and Safety and the use of Hand and Power Tools. We practised on off-cuts and tried to remember some of our geometry from our school days. For some, that was long ago and not so long for others....

We were taught by the best. GLENN COSTIN, with his Carpentry and Joinery skills, soon made it clear that close enough was definitely not going to be good enough for our boat. NORM PETERS, with his boat building experience, had a story to go with every situation we encountered, which made us feel like we weren't as incompetent as we first thought. And FRANK LANGE, with his life-long building experience and Father-like guidance never failed to find a calm and reasonable solution to every problem.

We were also very lucky to warm up with a Tai Chi class prior to our sessions, thanks to the expertise and generosity of KERRY WALKER. We had the use of a second hand Dragon Boat for training, which took place twice a week and Kerry would come and do warm up exercises before we went out to paddle.

So now, ten months later, we have finished our MAGNIFICENT DRAGON BOAT. We've encountered many small problems, but overcoming them has been fulfilling and empowering. It has certainly been a team effort with every individual involved giving something special to the group. Co-ordinating such a diverse group was challenging at times, but thanks to the enthusuastic committee led by our energetic and forever smiling JENNY BLACK, the project has been an overwhelming success. The NSW TAFE Riverina Institute, Albury Campus and Outreach, Deniliquin Campus has been so supportive. The amount of work behind the scenes has been enormous for the TAFE, but it's probably suffice to say they stand by their slogan as they have certainly been "enriching lives". SUE O'CONNELL and IAN BRUCE worked particulary hard to make sure our group was fairly treated to the point of making us feel like royalty, which really enhanced the experience.

The impact of this project on each individual involved has been enormous. A cancer support group by its very nature can be depressing and sometimes counterproductive. Building this boat has given power back to many who felt powerless. It has pushed through our polite friendships to lasting, more robust relationships. It has allowed us to regain some of that innocent, carefree happiness that is often lost with a cancer diagnosis. And it marks the beginning of a wonderful, positive group for the whole community to embrace and be inspired by. We believe we are the first group of our kind to build a dragon boat in Australia and maybe even the world. We are very proud of this achievement.

The project does not end here. Our MAGNIFICENT DRAGON BOAT was Blessed according to Chinese tradition, on Sunday, 9TH APRIL, 2006, it will now be paddled with enthusiasm and love for many years to come. It is our hope that the BRAVE HEARTS DRAGON BOAT becomes symbolic of the community's support for those battling cancer.

Jodie Hart

Friday Magazine, May 2006 (click on images to read the text)

This page last updated May 3, 2010