Dragons Abreast Canberra was the second DAA team in Australia, commencing paddling in 1999. Our original team name was Tickled Pink but was changed to GoAnna in 2012 in honour of our founder Anna Wellings-Booth. DA Canberra celebrated our 20th anniversary in 2019. We continue to grow in numbers each year and some of our original paddlers are still active members. Exercise is medicine!

DA Canberra competed in the International Breast Cancer Paddling Commission events for breast cancer survivors in Caloundra, Australia (2007); Peterborough, Canada (2010); Sarasota, Florida, USA (2014) and Florence, Italy (2018). DA Canberra looks forward to participating in New Zealand in April 2022.

But competition is not our only interest! We have a variety of social activities and simply enjoy paddling on our beautiful Lake Burley Griffin. Our ‘GoAnna’s Gatherin’ (gathering of members with dinner and short program of fun) is a social highlight each year. The DA Canberra Annual Social and Corporate Regatta continues to be a very successful community event raising awareness of breast cancer in the Canberra region through the sport of dragon boat racing.

We have two boats: a 20 seater named GoAnna, and a baby 10-seater boat called Gecko. We paddle regularly three times a week throughout the year, despite Canberra’s cold winters, and compete regularly in the local ACT and NSW regattas, as well as overseas in Hong Kong. In 2014 and 2019, we paddled 55 kms of the Ord River in Western Australia in the Ord River Marathon.

Recovering from breast cancer?

Come and try dragon boating with Dragons Abreast Canberra for fitness, fun and camaraderie
https://www.revolutionise.com.au/dacanberra/events/