Newsletter. Committee. Saturday 8am. Sunday 4pm. Tuesday 5pm. Thursday 5pm LISMORE BOATSHED. November 2012 PADDLING TIMES AT. The debrief!

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1 FAR NORTH COAST CANOE CLUB PO BOX 469, LISMORE NSW November 2012 Editor: Cathy Donnelly The Newsletter Inside this issue: Committee President Bruce Taylor Pages 1 to 3 Warregah Island Recreational Paddle Ordinary Members Vice President Narina Donnelly Pages 4 to 5 Minutes of Meeting 2 October 2012 Page 6 Minutes of Meeting 6 November 2012 Page 7 Take the Challenge Colin Cussel Therese Crollick Lyn Delaney Fran Slattery Geoff Stewart Chris Allen Cathy Donnelly Treasurer Phillip Rowe Secretary Barbara Davies A/H Warregah Island Recreational Paddle 21 Oct 2012 story by Colin Cussell, photos by Bruce & Colin Page 8 River Access Steps Page 9 What s happening around the club The debrief! PADDLING TIMES AT LISMORE BOATSHED Saturday 8am Sunday 4pm Tuesday 5pm Thursday 5pm The club did this same recreational paddle back in 2006 when only four people attended. As I am the only one still in the club, I was keen for present club members to experience this pleasant paddle which combines the open water paddling of the North Arm of the Clarence River near Chatsworth village and Back Channel, on the Western side of Warregah Island, with the forest paddling of Mangrove Creek. Twelve paddlers attended. They all enjoyed the day. The weather was perfect and did not reach the predicted high temperatures. All remarked how this section of the Clarence River was very clean with no litter and very little weeds on the river bank. We travelled to Chatsworth with seven in Martin s car which he kindly loaned to tow the trailer. Another five made their own way there.

2 Warregah Island Recreational Paddle 21 Oct 2012 story by Colin Cussell, photos by Bruce & Colin On arrival I observed that the tide was still running out which was not as predicted. I asked an old bloke, who lived next to the shop, if he knew when the tide would turn. He turned out to be the right bloke to ask. He had lived there all his life and knew the tides and waters particularly well. He advised that we should abandon the paddle plan I had made and travel around Warregah Island in the opposite direction. That way we could ride the outgoing tide down the North Arm of the Clarence River and then take advantage of the already incoming tide as we travelled up the Back Channel. He also confirmed that there was a seat at the junction of Mangrove Creek and Back Channel which would make a good resting and Chatsworth Island s 3 wise men! meeting place if we became separated on the paddle. We began the paddle by paddling downstream along the North Arm as a group. Near the North end of Warregah Island we encountered shallow water and some of us got out and walked. On the Back Channel we encountered abundant bird life seeing two types of Cormorant and an Osprey. Roger, our friendly local guide! We found the bench at the junction of Mangrove Creek and rested for morning tea. A sign A quick stop for morning tea and we re on our way again warned that all visitors needed the permission of the owner. A house was visible at some distance but as our visit was to be brief we did not make the trek to the house. A man in a kayak appeared who identified himself as Roger. He had been telephoned by the man who lived next to the shop, who told him of our plans to paddle up Mangrove Creek. Roger offered to act as our guide. He proved to have vast local knowledge and was also a mine of information about other local paddles Tawny Territory that we may do in the future such as the Esk River downstream from the bridge and Wooli Wooli River. With Roger guiding us we paddled up Mangrove Creek passed the old cane barge hulks and a few houses in idealic places. They were built to take full advantage of this bushy place on the river with jetties for fishing and boating. We came to a creek junction and Roger pointed out the shorter arm of the creek lead to an old abandoned saw milling village and the longer arm proceeded into the forest. Abandoned cane barges

3 Warregah Island Recreational Paddle 21 Oct 2012 story by Colin Cussell, photos by Bruce & Colin Jenny is off and racing! The incoming tide continued to push us upstream. Some of the group were tired and stopped for lunch a little sooner. Others continued a little further and pulled our kayaks out of the water at a place that Roger suggested. Over lunch we remarked that the forest looked dry and there had probably been fire through there at one stage. Imagine our surprise when this dry forest suddenly produced abundant leaches all anxious for a feed. The leaches cut our lunch short and we commenced our paddle back downstream against a slight incoming tidal current. Both groups joined up again and we paddled back to the bench at the junction. Roger took his leave of us and we thanked him. We settled for a rest only to find a four wheel drive being driven towards us at speed and an irate landowner telling us that she didn t appreciate us being there and not to make a habit of it. She had observed our morning stop and didn t like us coming back. Would you look at this mess! It s going to take a few trips to sort this lot out! After a brief rest we paddled back up the Back Channel towards Maclean and then rounded the Southern tip of Warregah Island for our journey back to Chatsworth Village. The open waters were smooth and paddling was perfect. Twelve weary paddlers arrived back at the village at about 4pm for a welcome beer purchased for the general store. We sat on the benches provided next to the river at the secret men s meeting place. Women were welcome too, or so the sign said. The shop owner told me that the attitude of the lady who owned the property who confronted us was well known. It seemed that the locals all knew each other s business very well but no one warned us not to sit on the bench at the junction of Mangrove Creek and Back Channel.

4 Minutes of FNCCC Meeting 2 October 2012 Meeting opened: Present: Apologies: 7.10 pm Narina Donnelly, Bruce Taylor, Barbara Davies, Colin Cussel Jenny Thompson, Chris Allen Minutes of the Previous Meeting: Narina proposed and Bruce seconded that the minutes of the previous meeting be accepted as a true and accurate record of the meeting. Business Arising: Bruce reported that the Council has accepted our plans for the steps and has waived the need for a formal Development Application. Martin Soutar, Parks Coordinator, outlined necessary safety requirements and conditions relating to the construction. This more simplified approach removes the significant fees associated with a formal DA. The dig-out is planned for 19 October with the concrete pour to take place the following day. Bruce is to meet with Martin Soutar on site again before the construction begins. Phillip, Geoff and Martin are working on this project. Bruce reported that on the same day he will work on the new racks in the shed. Correspondence In: s between Bruce and Martin Soutar, Coordinator Parks, Lismore City Council re OH&S and environmental protection issues and requirements associated with the building of the Steps between the path and the ramp and the timing of the construction. s between Bruce and Envite re the delivery and collection of their quick shade for the marathon race. Receipt for $150 for Race levy NMS with thanks for a great race at Lismore from Myra Holm. Correspondence Out: Letter to Martin Soutar from the Committee, as requested, formally endorsing the plans for the steps. Invoice to Envite for $300 for their sponsorship of our Lismore Envite Marathon Race. Treasurer s Report: Account balances at 2 October 2012:- SCU Isave Online $ 8, SCU Community First $ 4, SCU Term Deposit $20, (Reinvested for 4 months at 4.85%) Total $33, Income Expenditure $120 Renewing memberships and boat hire fees $Nil

5 Minutes of FNCCC Meeting 2 October 2012 Phillip moved a motion, seconded by Bruce, that Phillip s report be accepted and that Phillip be authorized to research the options for cheaper insurance for our shed and contents related to fire and burglary. Phillip also sought to be authorized to pay the Invoice to Triple X for the set-up costs for our new rashies amounting to $120. Carried. General Business:- Christmas Social. Our Grand Christmas morning tea will be held on Saturday 8 December after paddling. Phillip moved a motion seconded by Bruce that during the construction of the steps, the club lay heavy duty matting on part of the slope above the path to prevent members slipping on this raised area after flooding events. Carried. It was decided to hold a Christen the steps Barbie on Saturday 20 October on the wharf beside the river. Narina is organizing this social event. Jenny Thompson briefed Barbara to put forward her submission that the club pay for the setup costs of $120 for screen printing our logo on the new club rashies. Phillip moved a motion, seconded by Colin, that the club pays this one-off. Carried. Post Lismore-Envite Marathon Race discussion. Phillip informed that the food stall raised $80 and entry fees amounted to $520. There are still cheques to be cashed to PNSW for $15 for a single event fee and for $150 as a levy to NMS. $300 sponsorship is yet to be received from Envite. The net result will be $700. Phillip also reported that Andrew Gordon has offered to be Race Director in 2013 and Colin will continue to take responsibility for timing. There was further discussion about training our volunteers prior to the event for some tasks such as classifying boats into classes and planning ahead as to appropriate starts and use of numbers. Colin moved a motion seconded by Narina that the Committee re-appoint the 2012 Sub- Committee for the Paddle for Life for the 2013 PFL. Carried. A recreation paddle is planned on the Clarence River near Chatsworth for Sunday 21 October Meeting closed 8.15 pm Everyone is welcome to attend Committee meetings on the first Tuesday of every month at the Workers Club. Next meeting is at 7pm 6 November. Lismore Marathon Series pre-race excitement! photo by Martin Smith

6 Minutes of FNCCC Meeting 6 November 2012 Meeting Opened: 7.15pm Present: Apologies: Phillip Rowe, Dave Currie, Narina Donnelly Jenny Thompson, Bruce Taylor, Barbara Davies, Chris Allen, Colin Cussell Minutes of Previous Meeting: This was not able to be voted upon as only Narina had been present at the previous meeting. However it was believed that there was not a problem with the minutes recorded. Business Arising: The new set of racks is in place and has been occupied already. As we have new members awaiting a rack position it is likely a new set will be constructed shortly. Correspondence In : An was received from Scott Schweickle regarding the Paddlesport Awards. An was received from Wash Rider Paddlers Hardware offering discounted prices on various paddling equipment. Correspondence Out : Bruce has sent an to club members about the Basic Strokes course on Saturday 13th October. Treasurer's Report: Account balances at 6 November 2012 SCU Insave Online $8, SCU Community First $4, SCU Term Deposit $20, TOTAL $33, Income $ Expenditure Still awaiting the final invoices for the costing of the steps and other recent improvements. Phillip moved the motion, seconded by Narina that Phillip's report be accepted. Carried. Meeting closed at 7.30pm Everyone is welcome to attend Committee Meetings on the first Tuesday of every monthly at the Workers Club. Next meeting is at 7pm on 4 December 2012.

7 Take the challenge! Whether you re new to paddling or have been hitting the water for years, the VicSuper Murray Marathon has something for everyone. As the longest paddling challenge in the southern hemisphere, you have a unique opportunity to participate in a truly iconic Australian event. If you re planning on joining in the fun, but haven t registered as yet, you can do so quickly and easily on line. And don t forget, if you introduce a new paddler to this year s event, you re eligible for mate s rates (full details are available on the marathon s website). What are you doing this Boxing Day? Get the crew together and take the challenge!

8 After a long process we were finally able to go ahead with the task of building some steps between the path and the ramp for river access. These steps will be particularly useful immediately after a flood when the slope remains slippery for some time. Anyone who has sat on their bum in the mud will know what I mean. River Access Steps Story by Bruce, photos by Erin & Doug Geoff put in a lot of time creating the WHS documents necessary and then headed the construction team of himself, Phillip & Martin. The steps were dugout & formed on Tuesday, poured on Wednesday & cleaned up on Friday. The next day, Sat. 20 th at 6pm. the official opening with ribbon cutting took place on site and it was followed by a barbeque dinner attended by club member. Many thanks to the generous hard working team involved for a job very well done and I m sure will be much appreciated by all the users. Bruce.

9 What s happening around the Club Fran has become a serious contender on show circuit taking out 1 st in the Sourdough Bread class and 2 nd in the chutney class at Lismore show. While on a high she will contest Alstonville show next. One of our newest members, Stephen Mann has purchased a very nice Mirage 580 which got a good test run on the Warregah Island Recreation paddle. An additional boat rack has been installed in the other side of the clubhouse to assist in the cause of every member having their boat correctly housed. Christmas Social. Our Grand Christmas morning tea will be held on Saturday 8 December after paddling. Forward stroke Clinic with Amanda Rankin. Learn from an experienced competitor who also competed in the Athens Olympics in Included with be theory / K1 ergo training, on water training and video analysis, the sessions will be 4hrs. $60. If 6 people sign up, the dates available are on the weekend of 24/5 November. Sea Skills course with Karen Dallas. Karen conducted a sea skills course for club members in May. This will be a continuation to be held at Ballina. You do not have to attended the May course to come. Eskimo rolling will be included. $60. If 6 people sign up, the dates available are on the weekend of 24/5 November. Please indicate your intention to attend by writing your name on the board at the clubhouse and ing Colin Cussel at colincussel@gmail.com