Newsletter: Edition 4 April 2013

2012/13 Presidents report What an amazing and successful year it has been for Dragon Boating in Victoria! We held the biggest ever Australian Championships at Docklands, showcasing our sport in the heart of Melbourne. A new constitution was adopted, paddler based elections introduced, a new hard working board elected, a new energy and now a new permanent home for Dragon Boating at our new boating hub to be built at Docklands approved on the 26th March by the Melbourne City Council after a 10 year campaign. A very big thank you to all the board members and the many willing volunteers who have made this exceptionally demanding year possible. It was a superb team effort to complete our most successful year of achievement ever for Dragon Boating. It is truly a good reason to celebrate a great year of achievement on the 4th May at the DBV End of Season celebrations. I look forward to seeing you all there. Good Luck to all the Victorian teams competing at Penrith. Trevor Huggard, President DBV End of Season Celebration The DBV end of season celebration is being held at La Di Da, 577 Little Bourke St, Melbourne on Saturday May 4 2013, 7-11pm. Entry includes one free drink and canaps upon arrival, as well as a sit-down two course meal further drinks will be available for purchase at the bar. Live band The Catch will be providing entertainment for the evening. The cost is $35 per person to be paid to your clubs account. Ask your secretary for details No tickets will be issued; your name will be checked against a door list on the night. Friends and family are welcome to attend. For regional teams attending, the Hotel Ibis is very close by on Little Bourke St and offers affordable rates. Please see: http://www.ibis.com/gb/hotel-3030-ibismelbourne-little-bourke-street/index.shtml MIDBF results Results for MIDBF have been posted online. They are available from: http://www.dbvic.com.au/Results/midbf-20122013.html Docklands Boat Hub and Yarra Compound update If you were at the presentations after MIDBF, you would have heard the Deputy Lord Mayor Susan Riley announce that the Docklands Boat Hub detailed planning was approved by the Melbourne City Council in March. This is a very exciting milestone and we will keep you posted on progress. Once the process commences, DBV will hold a meeting with a representative of each club to develop a list of requirements for the internal fit out.

The building company responsible for the redevelopment of the Yarra Compound has gone into administration, so the Richmond Rowing Club (RRC) is currently sourcing and alternative company to complete the work. Once plans are in place, DBV will commence lease negotiations with RRC and the Melbourne City Council. Corporate event on 27 April DBV is holding a corporate event on 27 April 2013. Times are being finalised, but four boats will be required, so if your club is training then please look out for the email which specifies the times the boats will be in use by the corporate crews. New DBV TK1s You might have noticed two brand new TK1s in Shed 2. These have been purchased by DBV and will be for the use of all Victorian clubs, including regional clubs as they are easily transportable. We are in the process of purchasing lights for the boats, in the meantime, we ask that you DO NOT take them out onto the water outside the hours of dawn and dusk. This is serious a safety issue. DBV is currently developing a booking system and guidelines for the use of the TK1s. This will be communicated ASAP. In the mean time, please respect the following 3 golden rules: 1. Do not take them out onto the water outside the hours of sunset and sunrise. We are in the process of purchasing appropriate lights for the boats. 2. They are to be used only under the supervision of your club coach. 3. Never take them out alone a pair of you must be out together. Please also note if anyone wants to set up their own training boat the custom made floats can be ordered from DBV for $295 inc GST. The yellow and light blue boats that were already in Shed 2 belong to AusDBF. These are booked using a different system and are prioritized for Auroras training. Invoices to be provided this week All clubs will be invoiced for outstanding payments this week. We apologise for the delay in invoicing you for some events, we have been operating without an administration officer until this month, so that should be rectified for next season (see the information on our new DBV administration officer below).

Board members resignation Our Events Director Jeff Saunders has resigned his position from the board and would like to thank all the people, including volunteers that have supported him in his role this season. Our Treasurer Ali Sutton will be away in May and June, but the new DBV admin officer Charlotte Chen will be assisting with finances and administration during that period. An AGM will be held in August to vote in the board for 2012/13. There will be vacant board positions to be elected at that meeting, so please be sure to start thinking about whether there is something you could contribute to DBV. This is an exciting opportunity to play a part in the management of our sport at a strategic level and wed love to have you on board. Australian Masters Games Anyone 27 years and over can participate. Be sure to get in quickly for early bird registration which closes at the end of May. Go to: http://www.australianmastersgames.com The Yarra River Dragons had their photo taken with sports legend Mark Beretta to promote the games.

New boat launching equipment The boat launching equipment was replaced by DBV during March and it is now much easier to get the boats in and out of the water at Docklands. Please be sure to treat the new equipment with respect so that it lasts! Off season working bee Shed 2 On Sunday 9 June, DBV will be holding a working bee from 10am-2pm at Shed 2. The more people that attend, the better the outcome, so please endeavour to get your club members along. Any materials that are not within your clubs allocated storage box or registered with DBV for storage elsewhere in Shed 2 will be up for removal, so be sure to attend to your own club areas before the working bee commences. Off season boat maintenance Boats will be repaired and maintained gradually over the winter. Each club will be asked to assist at some stage in order to ensure the work is shared.

Dragon Boat Victoria Administration Officer An administration officer has been employed by DBV. The position was advertised on seek.com.au and we received a strong field of applicants, after short listing and interviews were completed, we have hired Charlotte Chen to assist with finance and administration duties of the board. City of Melbourne sponsorship DBV would like to thank the City of Melbourne for their generous sponsorship of the Chinese New Year and MIDBF regattas in 2013. We would encourage everybody attending to use public transport in support the councils environmental sustainability initiatives. AusDBF train the trainer and coaching courses AusDBF is still looking for presenters for their coaches course. The Coaches course is to be held on the 11th and 12th of May at DBNSW in Homebush 0830-1700. The cost is $300 per person to cover running expenses. DBV would be willing to cover this cost to send an appropriate person along. The below Aus DBF bulletin contains more information: http://www.ausdbf.com.au/sites/default/files/documen ts/2013%20AusDBF%20LETTER%20EOI%20COACHING% 20COURSE%20PRESENTER.pdf There is also a train the trainer officials course being organised by AusDBF. It is being held on the 1st and 2nd June in Homebush, NSW. More information on this is available from: http://www.ausdbf.com.au/sites/default/files/documen ts/2013%20AusDBF%20LETTER%20EOI%20OFFICIALS%2 0COURSE%20.pdf Please RSVP to secretary@dbvic.com.au ASAP if you are interested in either course. For your calendar: April: 15-20: Australian Dragon Boat Championships Penrith, NSW 27: DBV Corporate event, limited availability of boats May/June: 4 May DBV End of season celebration 12 May deadline for EOI: train the trainer coaches course 9 June DBV Working bee Auroras Camp 2 Tallebudgera, QLD July: 18-23: Auroras Camp 3 Gyor, Hungary 24-28: Auroras World Championships, Szeged, Hungary

August: Date TBA DBV Annual General Meeting Thats it for now. Happy paddling and well see you on the water!