Kim – DA Canberra Posted on: 26 August 2025

In 2020 I had just received a voluntary redundancy from my employer, and the future was looking bright. Semi-retirement, a new caravan, volunteering for charity, and a stress free casual job were on the horizon. Two months later everything flipped – I had been diagnosed and a very scary pandemic was on the horizon. I started and finished my treatment alone – surgery, chemo, radiation – and thanks to the pandemic, my support network was not able to be there to hold my hand.

When I was on the road to recovery, and with encouragement from a thriving, paddling motorcycle buddy I came along to a Come and Try with Dragons Abreast Canberra. Even with a bung shoulder from an old dirt bike injury, I was welcomed. The sunshine, the camaraderie, the water, our beautiful lake, the smiling faces, the prospect of being fit again – they were all alluring to me and I was hooked.

Fast forward and I am now an integral part of a wonderful group of paddlers and their supporters at both Dragons Abreast Canberra (DAC) and DAA, who have had many amazing experiences together – The Ord Marathon, medals at AusChamps with DAA, and many fun and exhilarating regattas and Lunar Festivals. After gaining my coaching accreditation I am now the teams Head Coach and recently attained my Level 2 coaching accreditation. I get great joy from seeing others get hooked on dragon boating and seeing them improve and integrate seamlessly with our club. I’m active on the DAC committee, and in my spare time I volunteer with a small cancer charity that provides practical monetary support to local cancer patients, which is also extremely satisfying. A cancer diagnosis, whatever the outcome, changes everyone’s life.

I made wonderful new connections, I got back to moving again, and I got busy living, with some thanks to Dragons Abreast.