DRAGON BOATERS: Narooma Blue Water Dragons.
THE Narooma Blue Water Dragons have beaten the odds and received approval to build a new team boat house – now the challenge is to raise funds for construction.
To bring in the bucks the club is holding a ‘Paddle-a-Thon’ on Sunday which is 10km marathon of paddling around Narooma’s stunning Wagonga Inlet.
“Since we formed the club in 2010 we’ve received great support from many quarters,” Club captain and Paddle-a-Thon coordinator, Gilly Kearney said. “Now we are hoping that individuals, businesses and clubs will sponsor our Paddle-a-Thon so we can get our boat house up and running.
“We expect it will take up to two hours to complete the 10km paddle – a pretty steep challenge for us given that not all our paddlers are spring chickens. One of the great things about dragon boating and our club, is that it’s a sport for all ages and we have members ranging in age from 32 to 67.
“Supporters can either sponsor an individual paddler for each kilometre they cover, or sponsor the whole boat per kilometre. If we can raise $10,000 we will have our boat house fully completed by the end of May.”
The new boat house will be located between the Fisheries Building and the Quarterdeck on Riverside Drive. Design plans were approved this month by the Eurobodalla Council, the Crown Lands Department, Fisheries Department and the Marine Park Authority - a feat which has raised eyebrows in some quarters.
“Lots of people told us that we were dreaming, that we’d never get approval to build there,” club president, Peter Essex said.
“Well, we are ‘the little team that could’ and we wouldn’t take no for an answer.
“There are a lot of people who believed in us, and special thanks are due to MP Andrew Constance who has been a staunch supporter of the club since inception. And we are especially thankful to Don Shortridge who did the boat house design for us, ensuring that the look and style fitted the ambiance of the lovely Forsters Bay foreshore.
“Huge thanks are also due to Pauline Rundle, who is currently hosting our dragon boat, the Kerry J, on her Narooma property. We’ll miss dodging the cows during our training sessions!”
Supporters wishing to sponsor the Paddle-a-Thon should contact Gilly Kearney on 0422 272 805 or via email at narooma.bwd@gmail.com
