Two of the PD’s, Jenny and Joanne are flying out to Port Lincoln tomorrow morning to spend the weekend with the Port Lincoln Dragons Abreast Team. To those of you who don’t know Jenny, she is a breast cancer survivor, and both Jo and Jenny have been heavily involved in the Dragons Abreast teams. Two of the PD’s, Jenny and Joanne are flying out to Port Lincoln tomorrow morning to spend the weekend with the Port Lincoln Dragons Abreast Team. To those of you who don’t know Jenny, she is a breast cancer survivor, and both Jo and Jenny have been heavily involved in the Dragons Abreast teams.

They will meet up with Michelle Hanton (founder of Dragons Abreast Australia) from Darwin, which reunites again "the cast" of the Australian Story episode titled "In the Pink" (aired Jun 2004) that subsequently helped to popularise dragon boating with Breast Cancer survivors and supporters all over Australia.

The Port Lincoln DA Club have a busy weekend planned for them.

The Itinerary starts with a celebratory dinner on Friday night to mark the 10 year Anniversary of Dragons Abreast Australia. Jenny has been invited to be a guest speaker at the dinner and she has been busily working on a 10 min speech and Power Point photo presentation that highlights her Breast Cancer journey and the positive impact Dragon Boating has had on her and her family.

Saturday and Sunday have planned DB sessions on the waters of Lincoln Cove where Joanne and Jenny will impart some of the practical knowledge they have gained over the last seven years of paddling.

Part of DB training will involve learning how to use a rate watch, and how to effectively use and train safely with a sea anchor. The PD’s have lent out our rate watch and sea anchor for the weekend.

As the Port Lincoln team was formed in 2004, they are an experienced and active club with approximately 80 members. The aim of the DB training will be to give the team some ideas on training set variations and which parts of the season to apply them. They also hope to paddle with some dolphins and seals who are apparently regular paddling partners in the Cove, along with the odd rogue shark.

The weekend has been funded by a Grant awarded to the Port Lincoln DA team. Jenny and Joanne first met the Port Lincoln organisers of the weekends’ events in March 2003 in Auckland at the Inaugural South Pacific Breast Cancer Regatta. They have been regular contact since and meet at various DB regattas.

Jenny are Joanne are honoured to be invited to Port Lincoln with Michelle. They take with them all the great skills and experiences that Pacific Dragons have provided them since joining and will represent the Club with pride.

– Geoff

A few worthy links:

Port Lincoln Dragons Abreast Team

Australian Story

In the Pink

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