July 2012 Drumbeater

THE DRUM BEATER

July   2012

The Manning River Dragon Boat Club Newsletter.

The newsletter everyone wants to read.

Welcome back all our fellow overseas paddlers and travellers. Hope you are all recovered and ready for another season of paddling while we decide where we will go OS next time to paddle.

REGISTRATION TO DBNSW

Membership is due NOW.  Adults $95.00,   Juniors   $50.00

Please go online to do it(cheaper and saves a rainforest).

Your number is with the first email DBNSW sent you.  Contact Cath Stenchion if you do not have your number.

If no access to Internet, please contact Jen Schubert or Cath Stenchion and they will help you.(as per email I sent everyone last week.

Once paid you will get an email generated from both DBNSW and from Jen Schubert.  This does not mean you have paid our own club fees, only your DBNSW fees.

MRDBC FEES DUE NOW

Adults   $30.00

Juniors  $15.00

You can pay this into our regatta account or cash/cheque into an envelope with your name and amount on it to Cath Stenchion.  You can go into holiday Coast Credit Union and pay to Cath.  She works there Monday, Thursday and Fridays(if she is not tripping around the countryside).

CONGRATULATIONS.

No, we don’t have a new little MRDragonette.  Brenda Thomson, applied for the position of Junior Development Officer for the North Coast and was successful.  Well done Brenda.  You will be very enthusiastic in your role, so we should expect many young juniors turning up?? Brenda is looking at doing a specific Junior Training Session for them(Why wouldn’t they want to paddle with a bunch of Oldies?? )  We are the FUN group.

AGM DBNSW

Date:  18th August 2012.  In Sydney.

Jennifer Schubert and Gaye McDonald are representing our club.

Brenda Thomson is going as the Junior Development officer for the North Coast.

MONEY, MONEY, MONEY

. Holiday Coast Credit Union Community Partnership Grant

Our Club has been lucky enough to have recently been the recipient of one of the many Community Partnership grants from Holiday Coast Credit Union. Holiday Coast Credit Union distribute their community grants each year along the  Holiday Coast area from Coffs Harbout to Maitland to  deserving organisations, clubs/schools to assist in the development of projects  that benefit local communities. We placed a submission for the grant to Holiday Coast Credit Union for the purchase of 22 lifejackets to be used when we are doing any community functions. The grant we received is for $2,530.00.  Manning River Dragons are involved with the running of school sports. For the past 2 years the aboriginal womens conference where club members have take the women out in our boats. Taken a group from Break Thru-Disability Employment Solutions group and Taree City Council Youth School Holiday Program. No doubt now that these groups have enjoyed dragon boating they will be asking for our assistance again and word will spread how enjoyable and healthy dragon boating is. With the ability to purchase 22 lifejackets with our grant we will be able to take groups out to enjoy our sport that we all love in a safe environment without calling on our members to provide lifejackets from their homes. 

Thank you to Sue Hunter who was our willing representative at the Holiday Coast Credit Union to receive our grant and deliver a brief overview of our clubs intended use of the funds.

SPECIAL TRAINING

Annie from Newcastle(formally Port Macquarie) has been doing some training with the Pearl Dragons and the Spirit Dragons and wants to do some training with us.  The time will be when it f its in with her busy schedule.  Please consider it.  She is very motivational and inspiring.

HOW TO RUN A REGATTA WORKSHOP.

Sunday 22nd July 2012. At Taree RSL.

This is being run by DBNSW.

We have 11members that are coming along.  This will be vital for when we will be running our own regatta in Nov next year(alternating with Foster).

Gaye McDonald, Cath Stenchion, Jennifer Schubert, Rhonda Blanch, Shane Manahan, Brenda Thomson, Sue Hunter, Trish Paff,Narelle Minnett, Arthur and Kathy Salmon.



REGATTA NEWS.

What can I say.WE are soooo Good.  Hong Kong was beyond our expectations.

For those who have heard this all before, bad luck, those who haven’t read on.

An intrepid 28 paddlers left Aussie shores heading to the heat of HK.

We had one womens team and one mixed team.

Stanley Cup was unbelievable.  We thought Chinese New Year was hectic.  That was like a little regatta compared to Stanley.

The heat, the humidity,(34D felt like 46d) 80%, the paddlers, the crowd. WOW>WOW<WOW.

250 teams on one beach.

8 teams in the Womens and we came 6th in the final

167 Teams in ;the Mixed category.  We eventually got to the finals(12 boats in each race, yes 12)

And we came 4th runner up.

We were the only team from Australia and they loved us and we loved our TROPHY.

What a high, up on that stage receiving our trophy in front of millions, ok not millions but a lot of people.

We celebrated in style. And the cup leaks!!!!

What a great celebration dinner Summer organized for us with her family and friends.

Thank you paddlers, husbands Bernie and Budha, Summers sisterJanet, Summers friend Annie, husband Carlos , Friend Ralph, and son  Jackie Chan.

Thank you ex paddlers from Sydney and Tweed Heads, Kerrie and Sandra, thank you Rainbow Dragon paddlers(Janice and Kevin Woods, now unofficial Manning paddlers)and our cheer squad, Neville, Robert, Grant and Trevor.

We could not have done it without you.

I need to thank a few people that got us to Hong Kong.

Summer, my love, who would have thought when we talked about it 9 months ago that it was both our dream to paddle in the home of Dragon Boating at Stanley in  the prestige Stanley Cup that we did it in 2012 and we came home with a Trophy. And a big Trophy Too.

A very big THANK YOU SUMMER for all you and your entire family did for us.And what a beautiful family you have.

Thank you also to Cath Stenchion for handling all that money(taking it from us,and then wanting more).

Thank you Jennifer Schubert for all your help in organizing us both here and in Hong Kong.

TORPEDOS

Junior News.

Our fantastic Torpedos travelled to Hong Kong to paddle in the World Club Crew Championshiops.  And they brought home BLING.

A second and 2 third trophies.  And what big, beautiful trophies they are.

Well done,  Tara, Emily and Sam.  We are so proud of you guys.  You did us proud.

Next Regatta??

15th, 16th August.  I think Coffs Harbour???

BIRTHDAY CHEERS.

Barry Thompson      15th

Leanne Turner          10th

Anne Williams          21st