Annual Report 2014/2015 Season

Transcription

1 Annual Report 2014/2015 Season

2 2

3 Table of Contents Index Page No DBNSW Official Sponsors and Partners 4 Report -Trish Tinyow, President 5 Report - Mat Anderson, Finance Director 6-8 Report - Brian Smith, Director 9 Report - Geoffrey Roberts, Director 10 Report - Martin Hirst, Director 11 Report - Tamsyn Glen, Director 12 Report - Geo Cercone, Director 13 Table - Director s Attendance 14 Table - Members by Division 14 Report - Northern Region Coordinator 15 Report - Southern Region Coordinator 16 Report - Western Region Coordinator 17 Report - Sweep Coordinator Teams Table - Volunteer Club Payments 21 Report - Volunteer of the Month Recipients 22 Dragon Boats NSW 20th Anniversary 23 Results State Championships Reports - Australian Championships, State Coaches Results - Australian Championships, State v State 28 Results - Australian Championships, Club v Club results 29 Table - DBNSW Club Membership Numbers Table /15 Season Regatta Calendar 32 Table /15 Season Calendar - Education 33 DBNSW Honour Roll

4 Dragon Boat NSW would like to acknowledge the following sponsors and partners 4

5 Trish Tinyow - President Annual Report 2014/15 Season If you have been regular readers of the DB Drum you will have been hearing a lot about the work we as a board have been doing in terms of looking seriously at our sport and gearing ourselves up for its future. Over 18 months ago we started a journey, where asked ourselves what we thought we needed to do, in order to meet the needs of the sport over the next 5 years. The overwhelming answer to that question, was wholesale transformative change. We needed to reassess the priorities and, build a strategic plan around them. From there we needed to find a structure to deliver those priorities and then resource ourselves to make those deliveries. We needed help to work through that, and last year at the AGM I presented to members about how we had undertaken that part of the journey. Work continued, there have been many long hours spent by the board on that plan and I thank them all for their contributions and support. In January at the last strategic forum we presented a progress report. We had identified our priorities and had started on a new strategic plan, we were working on the structure too. We shared the initial recommendations by the consultants with our key staff in January, and in March the proposed structure was taking shape. In May it was defined and by June we moved into implementation. By the end of this calendar year, we aim to have moved wholly onto the new structure, and be working to the plan. We have refreshed our approach to board meetings, we have made systemic changes to the IT infrastructure of the office and we will have established deeper relationships with key industry partners and supporters. We have been out and about, meeting with various Government and industry bodies, delivering the message that our Sport is big enough now that everyone needs to sit up and pay some attention. So what does all this mean to you? As Clubs you will be empowered to be independent in terms of running your clubs, still wrapped in structure and support from the state body. You will have representation at the table of State Government, included in submissions for bigger opportunities on offer with really well thought out documentation, you will be part of a Sport that is providing thought leadership in terms of white paper consultations on large scale initiatives. You will see proof of this with our submissions for a permanent housing of our sport, a proper home base. Our ongoing engagement with parliament and councils over the protection of our interests and the wholesale in-housing of our larger more public event management. The roll out across the sport of Governance best practice initiatives. You will be part of a sport that is financially proactive, you will see the lobbying work at the national table & the increase in rigor of our State Campaign. Paddling itself and the regattas and the nature of BAU doesn t change too much in the short term, but of course there will be new faces, sadly we have said farewell to some colleagues who have decided to move on. Melanie Cantwell; who has pioneered the sport to where it is today: you are appreciated, dedicated & respected. Linda Bowman who has been such a valuable supporter of our members will be sorely missed also. I want to thank you both so much. Our sport is richer for all you have done. We look forward to hearing about your successes. To my colleagues on the board, I never cease to be amazed by you. You are courageous, contributing, dedicated and harder working than many will ever know. Mat Anderson, Gio Cercone, Martin Hirst, Brian Smith, Geoff Roberts, & Tammy Glen; respect. 5

6 Mat Anderson - Finance Director Annual Report 2014/15 Season This is my first year as Finance Director for Dragon Boats NSW Inc. (DBNSW) and my first Annual Report to members. It has been an absolute privilege working with my fellow directors, who are all dedicated and hardworking individuals and who, at all times, place the best interests of our sport at the fore. Naturally it is our President, Trish Tinyow, who leads the board in championing the aims and objectives of DBNSW and for those efforts I say thank you. At this point I must also make special mention of our long serving Chief Operations Officer, Melanie Cantwell, whose advice and assistance to me in my role of Finance Director was invaluable throughout the financial year. I must also make a mention of thanks to our former Finance Director, Martin Hastings, who had left DBNSW in a solid and secure financial position upon his retirement from the board. Financial Highlights for The budget prepared by our former Finance Director provided for a loss of $18,000 as reported to the last Annual General Meeting. With some careful management and budgetary control, we have managed to produce a modest surplus (profit) of $20,795 for the year ended 30 th June Our net revenue for the year from memberships, regatta events, boat hire, merchandising etc., was $460,811 against the budgeted $447,711 which provides a modest 2.77% variation. As noted above, we achieved a better than expected bottom line turnaround of approximately $39,000. I will highlight some of the overhead segments where we achieved savings on top of the $12,000 net income gain: We made savings of approximately $12,000 (a reduction of approximately 25% from budget) on our occupation costs for the Homebush office & meeting premises; We achieved savings in Total Overhead Expenses of $12,795 (a reduction of 17.23% from budget); and We also managed savings in our Other Expenses of $5,215 (a reduction from the budget of 15.25%). I need to highlight that the expenditure on the NSW State Squad, for the campaign at the AusDBF Australian Championships held at Champion Lakes, Perth WA, represented a significant investment by DBNSW. At these Australian Championships the commitment and investment by DBNSW paid off as we once again secured the State v State Championship, with more than double the points of the second placed state, our hosts, Western Australia. The Year Ahead As all members are no doubt aware, the board of DBNSW has spent some considerable time and effort over the past eighteen (18) months undertaking a strategic review and developing a new strategic blueprint for the future of our sport in New South Wales. This year we will be implementing the changes identified in the review process. The changes we implement will have a cost attached. Some of the most noticeable and immediate changes are to the staffing of the organisation. Continued... 6

7 Continued.. As part of the restructure of the organisation we have recently made the position of Chief Operations Officer redundant. The outcome of this process was that we have incurred costs associated with the redundancy which had largely been accrued as employee entitlements (Annual Leave & Long Service Leave etc..). This expenditure will impact the current financial year ( ) and had been allowed for in our budget for the year. As noted in last years report, fees levied by DBNSW were not increased last year (and had not been increased for several years). It was with this in mind that we decided this year to increase selected fees to ensure that we have a financially sustainable basis on which to build. You would have received my previous communication regarding the fee increases. If any member would like a copy of that correspondence, please feel free to contact me on finance@dbnsw.org.au and I will be more than happy to forward that Communication to Members for your information. With reference to the current year budget, we have framed the budget on very conservative membership numbers which we hope to exceed. Our budget has been framed on a total adult membership of 2,800 paddlers and a junior paddler number of 325 for the financial year (a total of 3,125). This is in contrast to our final year total for of 3,237 individual members (made up of 2,864 adult paddlers and 373 junior paddlers). On the following page we have two bar charts which indicate the breakdown between age groups for male & female paddlers across Regional and Metropolitan areas. In our budget for the current financial year we have budgeted for a deficit (loss) in the vicinity of $73,000. It ought to be noted that the costs associated with the implementation of the new strategic plan developed by the board have been included in this budget as far as they could be reasonably calculated. Additionally, we have not proposed any new capital spending at this point in time until we complete our work on the new strategic plan and engage personnel to fill the new roles created. If any of our members have any questions surrounding the audited financial statements for the financial year I am more than happy to address queries via to finance@dbnsw.org.au. I look forward to our year ahead and working with my fellow board members in delivering services to our members and to promote and develop the sport across the state for the benefit of all of our members.. 7

8 Regional / Metropolitan Breakdown of Male & Female Paddlers by Age Category 8

9 Brian Smith - Director Annual Report 2014/2015 Season The second year of my term as a Director of DBNSW continued to, not only be an enjoyable, interesting and rewarding experience, but also definitely emotional and challenging. Over this year, the Board s deliberations included the detailed analysis of the structure of our organisation and sport, and the development of a detailed Strategic Plan which included a timeframe for implementation. This meant that extra workshop meetings of the Board were required to ensure that the full ramifications of the Strategic Plan were thoroughly thought through to reach a consensus which the Board believed was in the best interests of our organisation and sport going forward. In framing the Strategic Plan, we first looked at the structure; then the processes; and finally the personnel required to implement the Plan. This intricate process will be fully outlined and explained at the AGM. As a Level 3 AusDBF official I was pleased to see the continued expansion of the training and accrediting of members to AusDBF official status. This also included extending the qualifications of Level 1 and Level 2 officials to Levels 2 and 3 officials respectively. By continuing to implement this process it should ensure that we will continue to set the benchmark for well-organised, successful and enjoyable regattas. The Northern Region s regatta season is a prime example of just how well this program is working for the benefit of members. During the year I continued to mentor officials and was personally mentored as Chief Official at a Northern Region Regatta (Forster). If re-elected to another term as a member of the DBNSW Board, I will devote my time and my organisational, interpersonal, managerial and financial skills to DBNSW and continue to work tirelessly as part of a dedicated team engaged in ensuring the successful implementation of the Strategic Plan over the next two years. Brian Smith 9

10 Geoff Roberts - Director Annual Report 2014/2015 Season The past year has been one of mixed emotions and challenges. The Board has welcomed new Board Members who have settled in well and who started to contribute immediately to their respective Board duties. For the past year and as you all know we have all been working on the strategic direction for our sport with much in-depth discussion of new directions and associated consequences. I won t pretend that it has been easy to finally decide upon a strategy that will take the sport from its present status to a suitably enlarged platform over the next few years. The process involved many meetings outside the usual Board schedules in reviewing Structure, Processes and finally Personnel required to implement the plan. We are confident that the direction we are taking and the vision we have planned will bring the expected results and that the people we employ will be the very best in order to achieve this. From a personal interest point of view it has been heartening to see the ongoing development of local regattas, particularly in the Northern Region to the extent that they now run themselves with mostly local input from officials and volunteers and only occasional mentor assistance. Long may this continue with Northern Clubs now able to field the qualified officials and accompanying volunteers required for their events. The Regional teams and in particular our Northern Region members did us proud at the National Championships helping the Regionals to win a swag of medals and I feel confident that the same amount of dedication and drive will be in place for next year s tournament in Adelaide. Towards the end of this current Board year, we have been examining a new system that could possibly take us all, at every level, seamlessly into a new era of communication. Whilst there is little more to be said at present, we will be conducting in-depth examinations of the system with the likelihood of small club based trials further forward. We must ensure that anything we propose is well tried and tested, that it works, that it is affordable for us and our Clubs, that it is workable for everyone and also scalable so that it will work at every level from individual to State. The year ahead poses significant challenges including the threat to our Bank Street base. Change, as we know, is not universally welcomed but I would ask our membership to trust their Board to do what is right to develop and grow our sport for the future. Geoff Roberts 10

11 Martin Hirst - Director Annual Report 2014/2015 Season This has been a very busy year for the Board. We have all been working long and hard on completing the Strategic Plan that will plot the course for DBNSW for the next two years. In addition to the Strategic Plan, I along with the other Board members, have been dealing with such things as: The issues arising from the Australian Championships in Perth (on a State and club level and arising before and after the Australian Championships). Reviewing and commenting on the proposed format of future Australian Championships. Addressing the many issues arising out of the ongoing occupancy of Bank Street, Pyrmont by DBNSW. In addition to those and other general board issues, the matters that I have been working on include the following: Several draft policy and operational documents including the Clubs Handbook (a comprehensive road map for clubs) which was drafted by Melanie Cantwell. The constitutional changes (which have been flagged to the members for more than a year). I have attended functions on behalf of DBNSW including: AusDBF meeting in Perth in October The 20th anniversary celebrations. Meeting with the NSW Minister for Sport (Stuart Ayers). Meeting with the NSW Shadow Minister for Sport (Guy Zangari). Meeting with the Shadow Minister for Finance, Services and Property (Clayton Barr) 11

12 Tamsyn Glen - Director Annual Report 2014/15 Season In my first year as a Director at DBNSW, I have learnt a vast amount of the workings of dragon boating in this great state as well as having the privilege of working with a great team on the board and the DBNSW staff. Along with the monthly board meetings, we have had a busy year with additional meetings to formulate the strategic plan. It has been a pleasure serving the dragon boat community and its members thus far. As part of my role on the board, I have the areas of safety and junior development within my remit. Both areas were well established prior to my time on the board with processes and systems effectively set up for their day to day running. Safety is paramount to DBNSW and the promotion of safety and a safety culture is of utmost importance. Reporting of incidents both on and off the water help to understand where accidents occur and where changes could potentially be made. As per previous years, please find below table of incident statistics for the last four years. You can see, once again, the number of On Land incidents is nearly twice that of On Water incidents. Area 2014/ / / /12 On Water 15 (38%) 9 (35%) 11 (37%) 2 (31%) On Land 25 (64%) 17 (65%) 19 (63%) 5 (69%) Annual Total 39 (100%) 26 (100%) 30 (100%) 7 (100%) Although the number of reported incidents is the highest of the last four years, this could be attributed to a better awareness of injury and incident reporting rather than the sheer number of incidents increasing. Please keep forwarding your injury, incident and near miss reports so we can review and monitor where areas of safety improvement can be made and implement changes where necessary. The most common injury reports were that of slipping and tripping as individuals were loading or unloading into the boat as well as moving throughout the boat. It can be easy to relax in a familiar setting of your ramp or loading area while getting into or out of a boat. However losing that brief moment of concentration can easily result in a trip so please, folks, stay alert when at the water s edge. There were also several reports of dehydration, dizziness and/or heat exhaustion, something which can creep us on us. Please remember, even on a not-so-hot day, our bodies need plenty of fluids. We also need to remember to work within the limits of our bodies. Junior development continues to be an exciting area of the sport. I had the privilege of attending the junior camp in Shellharbour in September last year and it was lovely to be around a great bunch of paddlers. Working with the juniors and teaching them how to hula hoop (my previous life) as a parallel skill in terms of learning technique and also learning to work together as a team was great fun. The camp was well planned and executed with a great program and a good mix of on and off water activities to challenge the juniors. It was very rewarding to see the next generation of enthusiastic dragon boaters embracing this opportunity and getting on so well. As well as business as usual, we, as a board, have worked hard throughout the year creating and refining DBNSW s strategic plan. The previous board widely recognised the sport needed a boost of sorts in order to grow the membership and take the sport to the next level. I am happy to say I am part of the board doing just that - at the time of writing this report, we were well into the process of implementing the strategic plan with an exciting future for the organisation. Finally, I would like to acknowledge the many volunteers DBNSW has the pleasure of working with and whom I have met this season. They work tirelessly at every regatta as well as behind the scenes, always with a smile on their faces, ensuring each regatta and the lead up to them runs smoothly for everyone. Without them, the sport we all love would not happen so thankyou! I have enjoyed being part of the DBNSW board this year and contributing to the organisation where I can. I am looking forward to 2015/16 and the exciting things to come for the sport. 12

13 Gio Cercone - Director Annual Report 2014/2015 Season Bank St Redevelopment. In the past year there have some changes to the way that the foreshore is to be managed going forward. The Government appointed the Urban Growth group to facilitate the redevelopment of the Blackwattle bay area in conjunction with a much larger project of the whole Bays Precinct redevelopment, which will develop approx. 80 hectares of prime harbour side foreshore into a mix of recreational, residential, and commercial sites. DBNSW have had a number of discussions and meetings with Urban Growth during the year and the 1 st stage of the project was a strategy for development that is due August This will be a blueprint for the coming years. It is expected that DBNSW will remain at the current Bank Street site for at least the next 3-5 years and as the redevelopment is finalised, we will have a better idea of where we will eventually be located. Urban Growth is fully aware of the footprint we require and continued engagement with this group is paramount to ensure we will in the future have a permanent home for DBNSW. To assist us in gaining government funding for our new home, DBNSW has engaged Team 2 Architects to design and put forward plans to Council and Urban Growth so these plans can be included in the final development plan. The first stage of the redevelopment is the construction of a public walkway along the foreshore stretching from around the current gate along the foreshore and past the ramp to join the area of Jacksons Landing. DBNSW has already discussed these plans with Urban Growth and some minor changes will happen over the coming months. NSW State Team After the review of the last years State campaign, DBNSW has made some changes to satisfy the survey and all the coaches reports. The new requirements and commonality of fitness testing will allow a natural progression from Club to State to the national Team, which is the pinnacle of any Dragon boat members if that is what they want to achieve. Key points for the State Team: Specific KPI s requirements for Coaches and Managers All paddlers will race in their age divisions Fitness testing common for all divisions Max of 24 Male and Female paddlers per division 13

14 Directors Attendance Members by Division 14

15 Andrew Blundell - Northern Region Coordinator Annual Report 2014/2015 Season Stretching from Wallis Lakes in the South through to Ballina in the North, the Northern Region has a diverse membership spread over 16 clubs. Northern Region regattas and paddle meets are held frequently throughout the year and are exciting events. From our big rivers through to dams and meandering waterways our paddlers are out every day of the week. The hardened Northerners amongst us even paddle in winter which is testament to spirit and passion we have for our sport. This year our Northern Region State team took GOLD in all three regional divisions at the State Championships. After getting silver last year, the team came together to ensure their training and team bonding would result in the best possible result and we did it! The team and their family and club supporters would like to thank Martin and Leanne Thompson for their hard work training and supporting us through the campaign. Jo Herring also once again provided great support as the team manager. Several of our team were also then selected to represent Regional NSW at the National Championships in Perth, also returning with Gold and Bronze. Congratulations to everyone, not just those in the teams, but to all club members without everyone, we wouldn t be able to fly the Northern Region flag! Our representation also goes internationally, with four of our very own Northerners flying the Aurora flag in Canada. Wendy, Mignon, Sean and Shirley are just some of our star performers, and they proudly represent us, NSW and Australia. Go well guys! This year we have also been supported well by DBNSW with many of our paddlers undertaking coaching and official training and then taking on leading roles in the region. We Northerners now have several L3 and L2 officials and many L1s which enables the successful undertaking of regattas officiated solely by us. Our club coaches are going from strength to strength and the power in many of the teams is amazing. Everyone has shown why we are able to produce the results we do. The Northern Region club delegates meet frequently throughout the year to discuss and organise the coming year events and regattas. Topics such as representative campaigns, junior and premier participation, paddler recruitment and retention and support for regattas are just some of the conversations had. The support from every club at these meetings is amazing from the loan of boats for regattas to the sharing of knowledge and offering to officiate allows everyone to contribute and learn. As the Northern Region Coordinator I am very proud of the calibre of our volunteer club boards, members and supporters and know that our region is in good hands to take our sport further and progress training and promotion in the coming years. The past year has also seen members and clubs liaise with each other and DBNSW via a weekly newsletter and Facebook page. The Northern Region Coordinator was acknowledged at the State Championships as the DBNSW Individual of the Year for his work moving participation forward in our sport via these means. If ever you are up our way, be it Ballina, Lennox Heads, Yamba, Clarence, Grafton, Mylestom, Urunga (Coffs Harbour), Armidale, Nambucca, South West Rocks, Kempsey, Port Macquarie, Camden Haven, Taree, Forster or Wallis Lakes pop in and join us, you will be welcomed like family! 15

16 Sue Wakefield - Southern Region Coordinator Annual Report 2014/2015 Season The year of has been another busy one for the Southern Region. Over the past year we have seen our clubs competing in local regional regattas, in regattas in Sydney and Penrith and in National competition in Perth. It is great to see the clubs all getting together to combine in competitions, giving those who want to be competitive the opportunity to do so. This year has seen S R clubs combine to race in QLD at the Pan Pacs as Southern Warriors, to race in Canberra, at Jindabyne as combined teams, and at Nowra as Waratahs. We are enjoying being able to combine several clubs together, to race as one team and also to be eligible for trophies. This concept gives many paddlers the opportunity to discover fierce competition at a highly competitive level. Thanks to the board for coming up with this concept. The Southern Region competed at the State titles with much spirited competition against the Northern and Western crews in Penrith. Well done to Northern region for taking the gold this year. Every club within the Southern Region was represented in the SR team. Paul Debnam from ZEN and Helen Hayes form Narooma received paddlers of excellence awards from coach, Chris Cheung. The Southern Region had 22 members who went on to paddle with the NSW regional team. The Southern Region is very proud to have 5 of its members from the Merimbula clubs chosen to represent Australia this year in the Auroras. This is a great feat from these dedicated paddlers who have braved many a chilly morning in the dark and cold to train and have diligently travelled to training camps throughout the country. Sapphire Water Dragons celebrated their 10th anniversary this year with celebrations abounding. Many past and present members attended as well as other clubs from the Far south Coast area. Nowra will be celebrating their 10th birthday in September and ZEN theirs in November. The Southern Region had a couple of interclub events this year. One was hosted by Sussex Inlet, where we explored their lovely quays system, and one was hosted by Sapphire Water Dragons at Malacoota in Victoria, where over 90 paddlers and supporters from clubs throughout the Southern Region and Victoria traversed 20 or so km round the Malacoota Lakes system. Illawarra has had a big year paddling at many regattas including Dobroyd, CNY, Jindabyne, Nowra, Shellharbour and at the State titles. 13 of their members also took part in the Ord River marathon. No small feat for a small club. Narooma found themselves with no fully accredited sweep this year but under the watchful eye of Pat Helmore, the Southern Sweep coordinator, they now have one fully accredited L3 sweep, one L2 sweep and two L1 sweeps. I congratulate the efforts, which have been put in by all club members whether it be organising events, coaching, managing teams, accommodation, fund raising, maintenance or contributing to the myriad of other jobs which makes the clubs run smoothly, and makes their clubs successful. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Melanie for all her dedication and hard work in keeping The Regional Coordinators constantly updated with what is happening, her reminders when things are due, answering her s so promptly at all hours and helping us perform our roles to the best of our abilities by being a great sounding block. Sue Wakefield Southern Region Coordinator. 16

17 Jane Aiken - Western Region Coordinator Annual Report 2014/15 Season The eight DBNSW western region clubs are a diverse and vibrant group. There is a high participation rate in the local, western regional regattas by all clubs, and many clubs have undertaken international paddling opportunities. There is a strong participation within the regional squad team, and strong participation and focus on the training opportunities for sweeps, coaches and officials. All of these are fundamental contributions to the growth of the sport. Some clubs are larger than others. Each club represents its own unique core of current and newly developing skills, which is complimented by significant social camaraderie. The western region continues to support the Waratah s team. For the smaller clubs, to offer their members an opportunity to paddle as a Waratah, presents a solution enabling regatta participation. Further discussion on the potential for a Western region Waratah team will be made in conjunction with our regional team head coach. Congratulations to the 8 members of the Forbes Dragon Boat Club who were selected in the Western Region squad for the Australian Dragon boat Championships in April Bathurst Pan Dragons have had paddlers in the Western Region Team, paddle at State and one paddler selected to paddle for NSW State and NSW National team. The head Coach Deb Clarke was selected as NSW / western region coach. In the Lithgow Flashdragons Zayne Bray has been selected as a Western Region, NSW and Australian representative. Zayne will travel to Canada for the World championships in August. Grant Tattersall was also chosen to represent Western region. 10 members of Pinnacle Dragons Abreast travelled to Italy to do Vogalonga in Venice, 8 members of others clubs joined them. Some members went on to Florence for a regatta. Four members went on to Israel for Israeli International regatta on Sea of Galilee, where they were joined by Canadians. Prior to leaving Australia, Israeli regatta organisers asked them to help with coaching and sweeping for the Israeli corporate teams. Colour City Dragons plans for the upcoming 2015/16 season include increased participation at regattas with Windsor and Bathurst added to their schedule, along with the Ord River marathon paddle in June. This year Outback Dragons Dubbo celebrate their 10th anniversary. Some members were also members of the State regional team to also attend the Australian Dragon boat Championships - a first for the club! They also paddled Masters regattas at Cairns and Adelaide. The Mudgee Mud Dragons have had a very successful 12 months. As well as hosting their Inaugural Business House Challenge with local businesses participating the Club also participated in the Mid- Western Regional Council s Health & Fitness Festival held in Lawson Park in March where members of the public had a taste of Dragon Boating. The Club was also very lucky to receive a Grant from NSW Sport and Rec for $350 that is being put towards the purchase of a fence. A Grant of $ was received from Family First Credit Union and these funds will be put towards the purchase of a new boat cover. Guided by Dragons Abreast Australia, the aim of Bidgee Dragons Wagga Wagga has been to bring together breast cancer survivors and supporters to participate in fun exercise in an inclusive and participatory environment, as well as raise awareness of breast cancer issues. The forthcoming season will be my second year in the role of regional coordinator. This is a role that needs to fit with the busy schedules that each club in this region is embarking upon. I trust that this report will inspire all clubs of our region to emulate those which have achieved in aspects maybe not previously considered. I urge you all to follow the example of the leading clubs and teams who are dedicating their time and good health to achieving a rewarding experience for each DBNSW member. Thank you to all club volunteers, participants and organisers for your efforts this year, and for the new season we will continue to promote our sport. 17

18 Greater Sydney region Sweep Coordinators Annual Report 2014/2015 Season Within the Greater Sydney Region (GSR), Sweep Assessments & Clinics are generally conducted in the first part of the season (i.e. August to December). With reduced racing opportunities for L2 sweeps in the latter half of the season, we tend to put testing on hold from January onwards. For consistency of approach, Robert also travelled regionally early in the season to guide and assist newly appointed Sweep Coordinators, Pat Helmore (Southern Region 2) and Phil Lambert (Western Region), through their first assessment and observation sessions. Sydney Region Assessments Based on the successful streamlining of the GSR Sweep Assessment process introduced in Season 2013/14, staggered Morning (AM) and Afternoon (PM) sessions were offered again. Combined with limiting the number of candidates to six (6) per session, sessions were generally shorter (than in the past) and kinder to paddlers & fairer on all candidates - though weather conditions on numerous days did impact on volunteer support paddlers (aka paddling buddies) and Test Candidates alike. About 60% of the GSR Sweep Candidates who tested were successful on their first attempt, though it became evident the remaining 40% were not fully prepared to handle challenging wind and water conditions - an issue that coordinators and club sweep instructors need to address. Various group and in-club assessment sessions were held throughout the season, with additional adhoc (re) assessments taking place as required. Supplementing these sessions between January and March, observation and assessment opportunities were also made available to individual sweeps during SDB & Friends training sessions run by Robert on Sundays. Sweep Clinics Two Sweep Clinics were held at Bank Street, Pyrmont. About 40 people attended Sweep Clinic #1 (Sat 18/10/14), stating with a demonstration of the revised Post-Capsize Head Count Procedure, then followed with discussions on land and on-water session. Due in part to a scheduling conflict with State Squad training, Sweep Clinic #2 (Sun 29/03/15) participant numbers were lower than hoped for. Positive feedback from L0 trainees, developing L2 Sweeps, and experienced L3+ club sweeps and instructors indicate participants leave our clinics with a greater appreciation of sweeping and learn something new they can apply on the water. Though land based clinics are opportunities to provide theory and discuss issues, the Season 2015/16 plan is to conduct On-Water guidance first, followed afterwards by a Q&A forum on land. Rob and Darren DBNSW Sweep Coordinators Greater Sydney Region (GSR) 18

19 Regional Sweep Coordinators Annual Report 2014/2015 Season Northern Region 1 Brooklyn to Maitland- Peter Richardson This year has continued with the ongoing need for the development of partnerships and communication pathways within sweeping development and assessment obligations. Each club through the normal processes of personnel changes has brought forward interesting approaches and challenges to overcome with some needing to be redirected and encouraged back into the sweeping family fold from the furthest part of the queue that they may occupy on occasion. The achievement and goals met has only been possible through hard work from all clubs, dedicated personnel either club president, committee and or nominated club officials driving the request for sweep development and assessment. Operating an on-need availability and or flexible fortnightly development sessions within all other commitments has served well and been successful across all NR 1 Clubs. Locations of sweep development and assessments either day and or evening sessions has varied from commercial harbor, lakes, rivers with variations to local conditions and specific requirements as identified and or nominated by self and or clubs. Forecasting forward to the many challenges to overcome and achieve as we endeavor to more professional in approach and regulation, is a very exciting time in seeing the previous trainees now being the trainers. Any sweep development facilitated is always seen by myself as a joint exercise in learning for all including the incumbent. I only seek and embrace positives in every experience along our journey. I welcome as always any relevant communication to how we can all improve in our fast lane of development, assessment and monitor of sweeping ranks in all clubs. North Coast NR3 Region - Robin Smith Another season of dragon boating has passed; every year seems to go quicker than the previous year. I have officiated as Sweep Co-ordinator at regattas on the North Coast and have also volunteered as Water Umpire and Starter at regattas. Thanks must go to the senior sweeps of the North Coast Clubs for the training of sweeps going from Level 1 to Level 3, the sweeps have been more confident during the assessments. I encourage all clubs to encourage their members to try sweeping at some stage so they have a good understanding of what s involved in sweeping a boat. There will be more trainee sweeps in (NR3) undertaking the sweep assessment during the 2015/2016 season. I m looking forward to working with clubs in the 2015/2016 season to give advice when required to all levels of sweeps. 19

20 Regional Sweep Coordinators continued Southern Region - Ernie Panucci The season saw 4 paddlers gain their full level 3 accreditation as sweeps, 2 from the Lake Illawarra and 2 from Nowra. The community based and DBNSW events held in Nowra were well attended and gave local SR1 paddlers an opportunity to gain experience at sweeping and accreditation towards their full qualification. At a management level DBNSW hosted a full day workshop for all sweep coordinators throughout the state to meet, discuss issues and review the Sweep Accreditation Safety Guidelines. These workshops have been a great concept and ensures our sport w.r.t sweeping is kept up to date by identifying risks both, potential and real, assessing them and devising a strategy to minimise the risks if not eliminate them. Our region continues to grow and I would like to see more paddlers come forward and learn the art of sweeping, to ensure cubs have sufficient sweeps within them so that paddlers are not denied to opportunity of a paddle due to no sweeps being available. Articles are continually posted on the Drum to bring everyone up to date on relevant sweeping issues and up dates on the sweeping guidelines. Happy and safe paddling. Ernie Panucci Southern Region Area 1 DBNSW Sweep Coordinator Far South Coast region - Pat Helmore The SR2 area takes in the clubs of the Far South Coast, Moruya - Nature Coast, Narooma Blue Water Dragons, Lake Jindabyne Snow Dragons and Merimbula - 2 clubs, the Sapphire Water Dragons and Zen, and I have held several Sweeps Training Days over the past 8 months, and the feedback has been very positive. In theory the Clubs are meant to do their own training of up and coming sweeps, but this can be awkward when a club looses all its sweeps for various reasons, leaving the trainees in a type of limbo, not able to get the supervised on water time they need, and, in fact, not able to take their club team out on the water at all Narooma found themselves in exactly that situation and they did exceptionally well to get their trainee sweeps up to a L1 status in double quick time. I have held several Sweeps Accreditation tests, with some trainees passing, some failing! I can see a need for further sweeping on-water workshops next season, and this will happen once the weather warms up and I get back from supporting the Senior Cs Auroras in Canada. Pat Helmore SR2 Sweeps Coordinator 20

21 Volunteer Payments to Clubs 2014/2015 Season Club Dobroyd DBNSW Race 1 DAA Corp DBNSW Race 2 Orange Total $1,300 $1,300 $1,950 $1,300 $950 $950 $1,750 $1,500 $1,200 $7,250 $700 $2,150 $22, Wagga DBNSW Race 3 DBNSW Race 4 Jindy CNY Shell harbour Tsunami $50 $50 $100 $50 $50 $150 $100 $150 $200 $750 $100 $150 $1,900 Mavericks $200 $50 $50 $100 $100 $150 $50 $150 $150 $650 $150 $50 $1,850 Different Strokes $150 $50 $250 $200 $50 $200 $100 $50 $650 $100 $1,800 Sydney Zodiacs $200 $100 $50 $250 $100 $50 $400 $50 $400 $1,600 DAS $150 $50 $300 $200 $100 $50 $50 $50 $50 $350 $50 $150 $1,550 ACCA $50 $100 $50 $50 $100 $700 $200 $1,250 Nowra Waterdragons $100 $50 $50 $100 $250 $100 $150 $50 $100 $950 Sloths $100 $200 $50 $450 $50 $850 Illawarra $50 $50 $50 $250 $150 $50 $100 $700 FFB $100 $50 $450 $600 Port Hacking $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $200 $100 $600 SWD $150 $200 $250 $600 Northern Beaches $50 $50 $50 $100 $50 $100 $50 $50 $50 $550 Pittwater DBRC $100 $100 $50 $50 $100 $50 $50 $50 $550 Deepwater Dragons $150 $50 $50 $150 $50 $100 $550 Marist Dragons $150 $50 $50 $100 $150 $500 PD's $50 $50 $100 $50 $150 $50 $450 Hunter River Dragons $50 $250 $150 $450 Colour City Dragons $250 $50 $50 $50 $400 Sandy Point $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $100 $50 $400 Pinnacle Paddlers $100 $150 $50 $100 $400 DSA $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $350 BWB $100 $200 $300 Easts $50 $50 $50 $150 $300 Pendragons $100 $50 $150 $300 Bei Loon $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $300 CYL $50 $50 $150 $50 $300 Bidgee Dragons, Wagga $50 $50 $150 $250 Camden Haven $50 $50 $100 $50 $250 Central Coast $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $250 Newcastle $50 $150 $50 $250 City Dragons $50 $150 $200 Sussex Inlet $100 $50 $50 $200 Hawkesbury River Dragons $50 $100 $150 Nature Coast $100 $100 Flamin Dragons $50 $50 $100 Lake Macquarie $50 $50 $100 Rainbow Dragons $50 $50 SDB $50 $50 Bluefins $0 Clarence Coast $0 Coffs Coast $0 Flying Dragons $0 Grafton $0 Great Lakes Pearl Dragons $0 Kempsey Macleay $0 Lake Jindabyne $0 Lithgow Flash Dragons $0 Manning River $0 Naga Spirit $0 Nambucca River Dragons $0 Orana, Dubbo $0 Sapphire Water Dragons $0 Titivators $0 Zen Dragons $0 States Total

22 Volunteer of the Month Award Recipients 2014 / 2015 Season March/April Julia proud (Sydney Tsunami) February All the volunteers at Chinese New Year January Robert Turnbull November Alan Hughan (Different Strokes) and Peter Reed (GLPD) October Caitlyn Quan, Jemma Parkin, Emma Conway (Marist Dragons) August/September Juliette Sizer and Meg Pickup (Rainbow Dragons) July Gio Cercone (Sloths) / Frank Calcara (Sydney Tsunami) Volunteers from Chinese New Year

23 Dragon Boats NSW 20th Anniversary Speeches 20 years of History covered the walls Picture captionsteve Winbank, MC Cutting the Cake PRESIDENTS - Past and Present Palais Room verandah 23

24 State Championships - Results 2014/15 Season Grand Masters Mixed 1st - Central Coast 2nd - Nowra Waterdragons 3rd - Bei Loon Masters Mixed 1st - Central Coast 2nd - Pittwater DBRC = 2nd - Mavericks Junior/U24 Mixed 1st - Sydney Zodiacs - Ying 2nd - NSW Zodiacs 3rd - Danebank / Sandy Point Premier Mixed 1st - Pacific Dragons - Orange 2nd - ACCA - Dacca 3rd - Sloths - Purple Masters Women Masters Open 1st - Central Coast 2nd - Pittwater DBRC 3rd - Bei Loon Jon Taylor Premier Open 1st - CYL 2nd - Pacific Dragons 3rd - Sloths - Purple North v South v West Women Challenge 1st - Northern Region 2nd - Western Region 3rd - Southern Region North v South v West Open Challenge 1st - Northern Region 2nd - Southern Region 1st - Different Strokes 2nd - Central Coast 3rd - Pittwater DBRC Premier Women 1st - Pacific Dragons 2nd - Sloths 3rd - Sydney Tsunami Junior / U24 Women 1st - Sydney Zodiacs 2nd - Danebank / Sandy Point 3rd - Marist Dragons 24

25 NSW State Championships - Snapshots 25

26 2015 State Squad Coaches Annual Report 2014/15 Season PREMIER AND SENIOR A - Sylvia Wong It was another challenging but ultimately rewarding year for the DBNSW Premier and Snr A squads. The location of the regatta, the changing nature of the competition and the large number of NSW Premier and Snr A paddlers provided huge challenges for the whole squad, but we were ultimately successful with a massive medal haul and the reclaiming of the AusDBF State Trophy. What Went Well: We were able to successfully trial, manage and race a large number of squad members (145 in total); Once again, the fitness benchmarking and the TK1 trials enabled us to work through these large numbers relatively easily, despite the lack of a dedicated Premier and Snr A manager, and gave paddlers an understanding of the standard we were expecting from our paddlers; We had strong engagement across the whole paddling community this included the NSW Auroras paddlers, NSW clubs and other coaches; The mini-camp format (rather than training once or even twice a week) meant that we were able to get a concentrated amount of training into a short space of time, without eating into squad members valuable personal and recovery time; Challenges for Next Year: Changes in the race program meant that it was harder to select squad members and set the crews. The racing divisions on offer changed regularly, and the eventual decision to race meant that our traditional strength in numbers was curtailed. It was good to see though that the NSW paddlers stepped up to this challenge and despite the changes were able to immediately adapt and perform to their maximum; The inclusion of the World Club Crew Championships to be held immediately after the Australian Championships next year may mean that it is relatively more difficult to obtain squad members as clubs may be keen to rest paddlers in advance of the WCCC. It is imperative that new coaching blood is found there is a large number of very keen, very skilled paddlers in NSW which makes the job of NSW State coach relatively easy, but there is a need, and an opportunity, for more coaches to step up and get the change to successfully coach the NSW squad. SENIOR B AND SENIOR C - Lindy Chester and Joe Iacono Firstly, the 2014/15 campaign for Senior B and Senior C paddlers was exceptionally well-supported, with a record number of paddlers trialling - approximately 75 women and 45 men over the two divisions. We decided to run the divisions together. Our first selection trial was held over a weekend and incorporated fitness and erg testing, on-water sessions and video feedback. The majority of paddlers were invited to train on through January and to attend the second trial early in February At the conclusion of the second mini-camp we had selected a final squad of just over 100 paddlers. Training sessions were then conducted throughout February and March, every second weekend and attendance at each session was excellent. For the Senior B women we selected 32 paddlers, 2 drummers and 2 sweeps, our intention being to enter separate crews for standard and small boats. Unfortunately, when the final draw was determined there was no opportunity to facilitate this and were only able to enter small boat crews. This also applied to the Senior C Women and to the Open crews, though we were able to enter standard boats for the Mixed crews. For us, the most notable thing about this campaign was the level of commitment and enthusiasm demonstrated by the paddlers. There was a great sense of team spirit across the two divisions and each and every paddler was dedicated to the ultimate goal of bringing home the bling. In the State Vs State competition we entered a total of 18 Senior B and Senior C teams over 8 events and brought home 2 gold medals, 4 silver and 4 bronze. Special mention must be also made of our various sweeps and drummers whose expertise and professionalism, most certainly contributed to our success on the day. Thanks to our team captains: Senior B Denise Sundercombe and Frank Calcara and Senior C: Angie Aston and George Webster. The paddlers certainly got the voting right, selecting paddlers who were both inspirational and well-organised. Their input and assistance on race day was invaluable! A final vote of thanks must go to Diane Dugar, our squad manager. Diane managed both divisions with flair and competence and as coaches, we appreciated being able to hand over the logistics of the campaign knowing that all would run smoothly. We thoroughly enjoyed working with the senior paddlers throughout this campaign and pay tribute to their dedication, motivation and their love of the sport. Thanks again to all those involved. 26

27 WESTERN REGION DIVISION - Deb Clarke was my inaugural season as Divisional Coach Western Region squad. Firstly, I wish to thank the DBNSW Board for the opportunity to be appointed, as this experience has contributed significantly to my ability to provide feedback regarding paddling technique and implement competition (race) strategies. As detailed in previous progressive reports, the most positive outcome of the campaign was the increased number of paddlers who trialled for selection in the squad. In previous years, the Western Region has struggled to fill a boat, while this season over 40 paddlers, sweeps and drummers participated in the three selection trials. A final squad of 32 competed in the Regional Mixed and Regional Women s Divisions at the NSW State Championships at SIRC Penrith. With only five (5) males in the Mixed team I was pleased with the race outcome of 4 th place with a respectable time of The Women s crew placed 3 rd with a time of The campaign commenced November 18 th 2014 and training was scheduled fortnightly between this initial date and the NSW Championships. After negotiation with squad members, training was conducted at various locations throughout the Western Region to accommodate members from the six (6) Clubs represented in the squad. This strategy allowed Clubs to showcase their home ground and provide a social activity after each training session. Both on-water and social activities assisted the squad to develop a close rapport and commit to each other in the boat. The decision to appoint Squad Captain, Manager and Sweep Coordinator from different Clubs proved successful, as individual Clubs felt represented. Five members of the Western Region squad were selected to represent NSW at the Nationals in Perth: a fine achievement given the relative size of the Western Region Squad. Post NSW Championships, I designed and gathered feedback using a Survey Monkey questionnaire to evaluate the efficacy of the campaign. I was extremely pleased with the comments and levels of agreement in regard to the survey responses. As a result of the feedback, if re-appointed as Western Region Coach in , I aim to provide information for paddlers in regard to fitness training beyond on-water training. The responses to the survey question: NSW COACH REGIONAL DIVISION - Deb Clarke Being appointed as Coach, NSW Regional Division was a confronting yet awe-inspiring experience. Trials were based on observation of paddlers during training sessions at Banks Street on Easter Sunday and Monday Together with the results of erg trials paddlers were allocated to A, B or C crews for both 200m and 500m races in Perth. Racing ten s was certainly an organisational extravaganza for completing entry form paperwork! Challenges which presented themselves included: Minimal time to observe paddlers on water; No opportunity to train once in Perth; Designing efficient seating plans for crews for different divisions: open, mixed & women; My lack of knowledge of the protocols and previous culture of squad selection; Sourcing sufficient drummers and sweeps for three crews who were paddling simultaneously (A, B and C crews); and Not being able to physically attend the Championships in Perth. Despite these challenges NSW Regional Division achieved Gold and Bronze in each of the four categories in which they were entered: 500m Mixed Gold and Bronze 500m Open Gold and Bronze 500m Women Gold and Bronze 200m Mixed Gold and Bronze I would like to take this opportunity to warmly thank Chris Cheung and Martin Thompson for their encouragement of, and faith in me and for their endless support. My thanks must certainly also extend to the extremely efficient and generous Squad Captains Ernest Panucci and Cheryl Patrick. Dr Deb Clarke Coach, NSW Regional Division 27

28 2015 Australian Championships - Perth, WA State V State Results Mixed 500m Women 500m Open 500m Mixed 200m Junior 20 s 1 st NSW A 20 s 1 st NSW A 20 s 1 st NSW 1 st WA A 2 nd WA 3 rd ACT B 2 nd ACT 3 rd NSW B 2 nd WA 3 rd - ACT 2 nd NSW A 3 rd NSW B 5 th NSW B U24 1 st NSW A 1 st NSW 1 st NSW 1 st NSW A 2 nd VIC 3 rd NSW B 2 nd - WA 2 nd WA 3 rd - ACT 2 nd VIC 3 rd NSW B Premier 20 s 1 st VIC 1 st NSW A 1 st VIC 1 st VIC A 2 nd NSW A 3 rd SA 4 th NSW B 2 nd VIC A 3 rd SA A 4 th NSW B 2 nd NSW B 3 rd QLD 4 th NSW B 2 nd SA 3 rd QLD Note: No NSW Crews in the final Senior A 20 s 1 st NSW A 1 st NSW B 1 st SA 1 st VIC A 2 nd VIC 3 rd - SA 2 nd NSW A 3 rd - VIC 2 nd NSW A 3 rd VIC 2 nd SA A 3 rd WA A 4 th NSW B 5 th NSW Senior B 20 s 1 st QLD 1 st QLD A 1 st NSW A 1 st QLD A 2 nd NSW A 3 rd NSW B 2 nd QLD B 3 rd NSW A 2 nd QLD A 3 rd NSW B 2 nd QLD B 3 rd NSW B 6 th NSW B 5 th NSW A Senior C 20 s 1 st NSW A 1 st QLD 1 st SA 1 st QLD A 2 nd QLD 3 rd SA 2 nd NSW A 3 rd SA 2 nd NSW A 3 rd VIC 2 nd NSW A 3 rd SA 6 th NSW B 5 th NSW B 6 th NSW B 6 th NSW B Regional 1 st NSW B 1 st NSW A 1 st NSW A 1 st NSW A 2 nd Vic 3 rd NSW A 2 nd VIC 3 rd NSW B 2 nd VIC 3 rd NSW B 2 nd VIC 3 rd NSW B 4 th NSW C 4 th NSW C 28

29 Australian Championships - Club v Club Results Day 1 Seniors 200m No 2km mixed run Senior A 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th Mixed 20s Mixed 10s Women 20s Women 10s Open 20s Open 10s Komodo Melb. Flames Manly Mavericks Tsunami Central Coast Sloths Pittwater Diff. Strokes Manly Pittwater Currumbin Komodo Diff. Strokes Central Coast Subsonix Bei Loon Brisbane RD Komodo Tsunami Manly Senior B 1st 2nd 3rd Manly QLD BRD A Central Coast BRD Dragon Flyers Bravehearts Manly QLD BRD Ad. Seadragons Dragon Flyers BRD Ad. Seadragons BRD A Dragon Master Manly Darwin WFW Ad. Black Dragons Central Coast 4th 5th Central Coast 6th Nowra Pittwater Bei Loon Senior C 1st NOT RUN BRD A 2nd 3rd 4th Ad. Seadragons Nowra Central Coast NOT RUN Burleigh SADA BRD NOT RUN Dragon Master BRD Ad. Seadragons 5th 6th DASydney 29

30 2014/2015 DBNSW Clubs Membership Numbers Club 2011/ / / /15 ACCA Armidale Dam dragons BallinaDragons 26 Bathurst Pandragons Bei Loon Bidgee Dragons - Wagga Bluefins Blackwattle Bay Camden Haven Central Coast City Dragons Clarence Coast Clarence Valley DA Coffs Coast Colour City Dragons - Orange CYL Danebank Flames (school) DASydney Deepwater Dragons Woy Woy DSA Different Strokes Easts FFB Flamin Dragons Flash Dragons Lithgow Flying Dragons Forbes DBC Grafton Great Lakes Pearl Dragons Forster Hawkesbury River Dragons Hunter River Dragons Illawarra DBC James Sheaghan (school) Kempsey Macleay Lake Jindabyne Manning River Marist Sisters / Dragons Mavericks Mudgee Muddragons Naga Spirit

31 Club 2011/ / / /15 Nambucca Narooma Blue Water Dragons Nature Coast Moruya Newcastle Hunter Northern Beaches Nowra Water Dragons Outback Dragons Dubbo Pacific Dragons Pendragons Pinnacle Dragons Abreast - Orange Pittwater Port Hacking Rainbow Dragons Bryon Bay Sandy Point Saint Scholasticas (school) Sapphire Water Dragons Sloths South West Rocks Sussex River Dragons Sydney Dragon Blades Sydney Tsunami Sydney Zodiacs Titivators Wallis Spirit Dragons Zen DBC DBNSW (only) 7 TOTAL

32 2014/2015 Season Calendar - Regattas 32

33 2014/2015 Season Calendar - Education 33

34 Dragon Boats NSW Honour Roll 2015 Individual of the Year - Andrew Blundell Life Membership Awards None Awarded Tanya White Mal Wills None awarded None awarded Chris Alexandrou None awarded Sylvia Wong Robert Turnbull Melanie Cantwell Elissa MacKenzie Peter Richardson 2012 Chris Cheung Wendy Irik George Louie Gavin Godfrey Steven Davidson Jon Taylor Karen Kiely Rex Wright 2008 Simon Wong 2007 Chris Alexandrou 2006 James Whisker 2005 Dave Hammond 2004 Jenny Petterson 2003 Melanie Cantwell 34

35 Dragon Boats NSW Honour Roll 2015 Club of the Year - Mavericks DA Sydney (DAS) Nowra water Dragons Grafton Dragon Boat Club Sydney Tsunami Different Strokes Central Coast Sea Dragons 2008 Port Hacking 2007 Zen Dragons 2006 FFB 2005 Sydney Tsunami 2004 DSA 2003 VADB 35

36 Dragon Boats NSW Honour Roll President Recognition Award Roger Seeto Martin Hastings Mary Weaver and Tanya White Tony D Andretti Belinda Chung Margaret Cantwell Memorial Award Elissa MacKenzie Sue McClelland Michael O Donnell Bob Capes Pearl Butcher Simon Freke Mal Wills Flag Bearers Diane Dugar Chris Cheung Wendy Irik (Sydney Tsunami) George Louis (DSA) 36