 Thanks to Fay Henderson ..... Fayzy At a Cancer Council Fay Rollings (from Currumbin Dragons) spoke of Dragon Boating for breast cancer survivors. I was at that meeting and I put my hand up to take responsibility for recruiting members to join as a breast cancer team to come under the umbrella of Currumbin Dragon Boat as our mother club. The Year was late 2001. I went about getting members on board.I was the first official member followed by Wendy Hall, Carol Mennie, Suzie Clackety and Lorrie Ledwell. We were known as Dragons Abreast Currumbin with a team name of Beyond Survival. We did our own fundraising within Currumbin Dragon Boat Club. I recruited breast cancer survivors over a period of time to join us. The original members were myself, Fay Hamilton (Henderson) Carol Mennie, Wendy Hall, Susan Clackett and Lozza (Lorrie) Ledwell. Lozza and myself started canvassing for sponsorship and Hogs Breath cafe came on board. Hogs Breath Cafe donated $2500 to go towards buying the breast cancer survivors their own boat. Hogs Breath cafe also donated the money for our very first uniform. Our small group set about fundraising for the extra money needed to purchase our boat and a tent. We held BBQ’s, head shaves, Rock n roll nights, barefoot bowls, tenpin bowling, biscuit drives, chocolate drives, garage sales, raffles, cake stalls, high teas - anyway we could to raise funds. Walks on the beach carrying a home-made full-size type of Dragon Boat was one of the highlights of spreading awareness. Our group continued to grow slowly but surely. DAGC joined DAA (Dragons Abreast Australia) in 2004. While still training under the umbrella of the Currumbin Dragon Boat Club in 2006 we had a full team of survivors. We also had a healthy number of supporters. We decided to enter in the world club crew championships in Singapore and entered as Dragon Abreast Gold Coast. I was our breast-cancer president and Lorraine Montgomery was our coach. We came home from the world championships after winning six crystal trophies, four gold trophies, four gold medals and two silver medals. After arriving back to the Gold Coast, Dragon Abreast Gold Coast registered as a stand alone club. ___________________________________________________________________________ My 15 yr Journey .....Lorraine Montgomery Firstly, and most importantly, I was a paddler for my entire time with Dragons Abreast Gold Coast. Two years later, I stepped into the role of Head Coach, alongside serving in various committee positions at club, state, and national levels. Spending 13 years as Head Coach was both challenging and incredibly exciting. Drawing on my experience coaching regional netball in New Zealand, I quickly learned that technique and motivation go hand in hand. Strong technique builds confidence, but motivation builds commitment — and you need both to succeed. If, as a crew, we could refine our technique to the highest standard possible, and if I could inspire my fellow paddlers to want and need to come to training, then we were already moving in the right direction. If we could shave even one second — or half a second — off our race times, then maybe, just maybe, we’d have a real chance against our competitors. At state level, our fiercest rivals were Dragons Abreast Brisbane - Missabitoftitty (MBT). They pushed us, challenged us, and made us better. Rivalry has a way of sharpening focus and strengthening resolve — and ours certainly did. At national level our key rivals were MBT, Dragons Abreast Sydney (DAS) and Dragons Abreast Melbourne(DAM Busters ). Competition was fierce, but it lifted the standard for all of us. In 2005 we travelled to Vancouver for our very first international Pink event — an unforgettable experience. To stand on foreign waters representing Dragons Abreast Gold Coast was something truly special. The following year, 2006, we took two crews to Singapore — a Survivors crew and a Mixed crew. By the end of that regatta, DAGC had earned enormous respect from our fellow competitors, returning home with four gold medals and two silver. What an achievement. In 2007 we competed at Abreast in Australia in Kawana, placing second in the finals — a result that reflected the depth and determination of our paddlers. Then in 2008 we crossed the Tasman to compete at the New Zealand Nationals, winning gold in the Survivors event. On reflection, one of the greatest honours of my journey was taking this crew to Matauri Bay, where they were hosted by my family on my marae. My extended Australian family and my New Zealand whānau came together as one. It was more than dragon boating — it was culture, connection, and aroha woven together. In 2009 we found ourselves in Miami, and in 2010 we were back in Canada for the Peterborough International Dragon Boat Festival — winning our division and once again proving that this small but mighty Gold Coast club could stand tall on the world stage. But the absolute highlight of my journey came during Chinese New Year in 2012. After years of finishing second and third, DAGC finally did it. We beat DAS DA Sydney , DAM Busters DA Melbourne and Miss a Bit a Titty DA Brisbane. There wasn’t a dry eye in that boat that day. It wasn’t just a win. It was validation. It was belief. It was the culmination of years of discipline, commitment, resilience and heart. Every early morning, every tough session, every second we had fought to shave off our times — it all came together in that one unforgettable race. In 2014 we travelled to Sarasota, where Dragons Abreast Gold Coast was the only Australian crew to make the finals — another proud milestone for our club. In 2017 I stepped into the role of Assistant Coach and was part of the crew that competed in Florence. To still be contributing at that level, in a different capacity, was incredibly special. There are so many past and present members who gave so much to this club. Not only as strong, committed paddlers, but as volunteers who generously contributed your time, skills and expertise. You helped build something far greater than a sporting club. You helped create a community where future breast cancer survivors and their supporters would find strength, belonging, encouragement and hope — a club uniquely different from the typical sporting dragon boat club. For that, and for each of you,Thank you.  
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