OPENING an envelope from Mark Vaile’s office left Laurieton woman Lyn Buckley feeling overwhelmed. Inside was a certificate congratulating Mrs Buckley on her nomination for a Commonwealth Sporting Achievement Award recognizing her dedication to establishing the Camden Haven Dragon Boats club.
“I’m just a normal person,” said Mrs Buckley.
“No one person does this. It took a team effort to start the Camden Haven Dragon Boats. This award is a nice surprise.”
Jean Ramsey nominated Mrs Buckley for the award. In her submission Mrs Ramsey spoke of Mrs Buckley’s experience with the Flamin’ Dragons Abreast group in Port Macquarie and her wish to see the sport established in the Camden Haven.
At a public interest meeting at the Laurieton United Servicemen’s Club last December, Mrs Buckley spoke to the gathered 50-plus attendees on the sport. She thoroughly researched establishing dragon boating and her eagerness was infectious. A committee formed quickly.
“As a result of the meeting, progress has been way beyond our expectations,” Mrs Ramsey said.
“The LUSC helped secure a boat for hire with funding for six months and offered an area of land at the rear of the club to store the boat. Their director Ken Whyte constructed a secure cage with steel donated by Bennetts Steel.”
On Australia Day, just six weeks after the first public interest meeting, the Camden Haven Dragon Boats launched on the Camden Haven River.
Mrs Buckley was involved in every stage of establishing the new sporting club, even assisting with the erection of the boat’s cage, and she’s still fundraising. The club now has 60 financial members and a crew contested the Dragon Boating Regatta in Port Macquarie last weekend.
Mrs Buckley is now training another member to become an accredited sweep. The sport’s governing body rules that a boat cannot enter the water without an accredited sweep. Mrs Buckley is the only sweep in the Camden Haven and takes crews on the water six times a week.
As a breast cancer survivor, Mrs Buckley is passionate about the sport of dragon boating, cited by health officials as the perfect sport for those recovering from breast cancer. Mrs Buckley also worked to have the local club affiliated with dragons Abreast Australia to help spread the message about breast cancer awareness through the sport.