Mary-Lou Reid Canberra

Mary-Lou Reid joined in 2005 and was a pint-sized dynamo with a big heart and bubbly sense of humour. Mary-Lou was presented the 2010 perpetual Dragon Spirit Award (a crystal dragon boat) because of her commitment to Dragons Abreast Canberra — paddling, drumming, volunteering and inspiring others.

Mary-Lou passed away while our team was in Florence for the IPCPC Regatta on 11 July 2018. DA Canberra and many supporters held a moving DAA Flowers on the water ceremony for Mary-Lou Reid on our return to Canberra on 22 September 2018.

I have included below Mary-Lou’s article for our newsletter and the song she wrote for our IBCPC Peterborough Regatta as well as a poem she wrote after metastatic breast cancer diagnosis. We miss her on the boat.
Kerrie Griffin

Peterborough groundhogs
WOW what an experience I had attending the Regatta in Peterborough, as well as the adventure of getting there via San Francisco and Toronto and afterwards to Algonquin Wilderness Park, Montreal, Quebec and New York (how many people can they fit into one city). Many thanks must go to everyone who attended and helped put this amazing trip together, including those wonderful people who organised our Canberra training sessions.

I cannot believe I am now home, and have actually experienced such a wonderful Regatta and saw such amazing sights. Some of the things I will remember and cherish always were: Niagara Falls and the blue full body condoms, laughing faces during our training sessions in Peterborough, the art of pronouncing Peterborough, the threatening thunder storms that disappeared on the day of the Regatta, girls crying with delight when winning the third heat race, our wonderful Peterborough Ambassador, Paul Follett,  and his labradoodle our mascot, Theo, the groundhog that lived in the hotel grounds, squirrels, chipmunks, moose, beaver as well as Canadian bacon cooked on an open fire topped off with maple syrup, a slow train to New York (Sue, Boerge and Marion know what I mean), lights on Broadway, lost water bottles, 5th Avenue and the makeup queens and the art of tipping.

I have many memories to cherish, but most of all the closer friendship made with everyone who experienced the wonderful atmosphere and Regatta in Peterborough. Thank you all — I am now saving up for the next one.
Mary-Lou Reid

The pink ladies
The pink ladies love to paddle
Out on the lake
Lake Burley Griffin
The pink ladies love to paddle
Together as a team

Look out all you Flyers
You better watch out
We’re coming up behind you
Look out all you Flyers
We’re training up quick and fast

The pink ladies love to paddle
Out on the lake
Lake Burley Griffin
The pink ladies love to paddle
Together as a team

Some of us have a few
Bits missing
But we don’t care, we just want to paddle
Some of have a few
Bits missing
Our chests are re-arranged

The pink ladies love to paddle
Out on the lake
Lake Burley Griffin
The pink ladies love to paddle
Together as a team

Watch out all you Icies
We’re toning up our bods
Our fitness is improving
Look out all you Icies
One day you’ll be shocked

The pink ladies are a ‘coming
Out on the lake
Lake Burley Griffin
The pink ladies are a ‘coming
To one day whip your arse!
Mary-Lou Reid

Hairless
I’ve been on the roller-coaster
And the ride felt never ending
Some of the turns were scary
Some of the dips were larey

I lost my hair to chemo
My eyebrows disappeared
And one day in the shower
I looked down — not a hair!

The girls at work were marvellous
And helped me all the way
And Kathleen said, don’t worry
I’ll draw your eyebrows every day

I’ve been cut, poisoned and burnt
And came at out the other end
All’s well that ends well
At least I have my hair

Mary-Lou Reid
March 2013
Old last line
And I have my hair again