Peters family - Mother and Brooke's family

An amazing lady.  We celebrated Mother's 90th birthday by having her to stay for a few days.  She enjoyed VIP treatment onboard with Qantas on her visit from the West.

Mother Peters - grand lady

Mother and Son on the front deck

While Mother was visiting from Perth, Brook her eldest granddaughter, and her family came from Burrum Heads to catch up.  We enjoyed a barbecue lunch and many drinks.  The kids were amazing in that they amused themselves with making a bow and arrow set from the bamboo in the garden.  It was lovely to see Brook and her crew.

The MacDonalds - Mark, Kellan, Morgan and Brook

Mother on the back deck

It was great seeing Mother in such good health and amazed at her incredible mobility.  

Easter bunny visits

The Easter bunny found these lucky boys in Darwin

Van and Kai after their egg hunt

Dragonboating - Lake Kawana 28 and 29 March 2015

Queensland Dragonboating State Championships 2015

The pinnacle of the Dragonboat season is the State titles held yearly at Lake Kawana, Sunshine Coast.  Clubs from around the state enter crews to compete in 200 metre, 500 metres and 2000 metre dragonboat races.  In addition the races are divided into age categories of Premiers (up to 35 years), Seniors A (50-59), Seniors B (60+), either womens' only or mixed crews.

 Our club is relatively new in Dragonboating history and consists of mainly 60+ and minority are a lower age.  We are unable to field a crew of 22 of all the same age group therefore we have to enter in a lower age group so theoretically we are disadvantaged before we begin.  However the exercise, the fun and the company are our real motivation and paddling is a bonus..


As some Cooloola members were unable to commit for the weekend titles, some comrades from the Bundaberg and Hervey Bay club joined us and we called our team the Wide Bay Warriors.  A great bunch they wee too.  We look a little like a motley crue as all the uniforms are different

Making our way down to the start line

Victorius - bronze medal winners in the mixed 2km race

Susan showing off!

Our oldest member, (not me) Jean Barnett who presented us with our medals

 At the Dicky Beach Surf Club on the Friday night, along with the rest of the Sunny Coast population

It so happened it was also Kath's 70th so Happy birthday was being sung

Jean, Susan and Lorna enjoying a meal before the rowdy ones arrived

We shared an apartment for the weekend of paddling.  Susan is ex-Army so she had us all up at dawn for inspection and running down to the lake in military style - task master extraodinaire!
Talk about a small world Lorna who lives in Hervey Bay hails from Pawarenga, her family name is Rudolf

Bronze medal won by our mixed crew for 2km race

Anyway it was the first championship we had a full boat so we were more competitive than past regattas.  We had more women than men so many of us had to double up in mixed races.  It was all good exercise, we covered over 6 kms on day one and at a good pace so fitness-wise we did pretty well.

GO THE WIDE BAY WARRIORS!