Our club’s origins date back to 2004, when Rainbow Dragons Abreast was formed. As a member club of Dragons Abreast Australia (DAA), our members were breast cancer survivors and their supporters. These ladies didn’t even have a boat to paddle in until June 2005 when they leased one from Dragon Boats NSW (DBNSW). Finally, in July 2006, we received our very own boat, thanks to the support of the local Lions Club and the Northern New South Wales Lions Trust.
Rainbow Dragons Abreast (RDA) had an enthusiastic membership and achieved varying levels of success at many regattas. Highlights included the International Dragons Abreast gathering in Caloundra in 2007, the annual Chinese New Year regattas in Sydney (which always featured DAA events), as well as numerous regional regattas.
The club’s size fluctuated over the years, however there was always lots of interest from the public in this fast-growing sport. In 2009, the Rainbow Dragons decided to form a sports club, where breast cancer was not a prerequisite. The Rainbow Region Dragon Boat Club was formed, with Rainbow Dragons Abreast continuing as a group within the new club.
“Come and Try” days saw a huge influx of members to the newly formed sports club, reaching 76 financial members by September 2010.
While RDA has a very capable man as a supporter member for many years, the new sports club could attract more male paddlers, enabling us to enter in mixed events at regattas and build on the strength of paddling in the boat. Both clubs are always looking for new members both male and female.
Our members come from the far north coast area of NSW that includes Lismore, Ballina, and Byron Bay. This area is known as the Rainbow Region, hence our name.
