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Pink, Proud and Paddling!
“We’re Pink and we won’t sink!
We love paddling and like to drink!
We paddle near and paddle far…”
If this chant sounds familiar to you, you may have been near the river in Maylands on a training day for the Amazons Perth Dragon Boat Club!
The Club has just secured their first Lotterywest ‘Active Participation’ grant; grants which promote community participation in recreational and cultural group activities.
The Amazons Perth Dragon Boat Club began in WA in 2000 and operates from the Maylands Sport and Recreation Club. The group now has 34 people of which 26 are avid paddlers.
The Club is one of the ‘Dragons Abreast Australia’ groups raising awareness of breast cancer and supporting people who have been diagnosed with, or recovered from breast cancer.
Dragon Boat racing as a post-operative treatment for Breast Cancer originated from an American researcher who identified the benefits of the repetitive paddling motion for patients who have had their lymph nodes removed.
The Lotterywest grant means that the Club will be able to purchase their own boat, paddles and life jackets.
“This is a really important step for us and WA breast cancer survivors. Our slogan for the national Dragon Boat Titles was ‘Through hell and high water ‘ and this is definitely one of the high water moments!” said Club President Tanya Basile.
”Lotterywest not only gave us advice on how to prepare our application but also on how to develop as an organisation. We were incorporated this year and found a home at the Maylands Sport and Recreation Club.
“Formerly we were borrowing a boat and operating out of different locations. Now we feel like we’ve taken things to the next level.”
Amazon’s members range from early 30’s to 80’s. Their bright pink uniform, ’on board drummer’ and cheeky chants, mean they’re hard to miss when they’re on the river!
“On our regular training run we paddle past a building site. All the blokes stop work to give us a big wave and yahoo!” she said.
While they are committed to having fun, it is the serious battle for health that unites these paddlers and Tanya believes that laughter really is the best medicine.
“At the end of the day, not everyone’s going to survive breast cancer. But while we’re here, we can all survive together. I think we’re the only sporting group that does want to get old!” she laughs.
At the moment the group have an ‘in-house’ competition running to name the new boat which they hope will be able to be built by an Australian manufacturer.
“We’re trying to find something that is meaningful to the group as a whole” she said, although there are some funny names out there – there’s one we know of called ‘Missabitatitty’!”
“Whatever we end up calling her – she’ll certainly be painted with a splash of pink!”