About Us
St George River Dragons
The St George River Dragons was started in 2005 by breast cancer survivor Deb Dennis and the late Kerrie Lomman who passed away in June 2012 after a brave, decade-long battle with the disease.
The club has hosted a number of regattas on the Balonne River in recent years. The regattas have brought community members together as they have donned costumes and embraced the fun-filled competitive spirit of the day.
Dragon boating continues to bring survivors and supporters alike continue to support cancer awareness and fundraising. Kerrie's spirit and legacy lives on in the club she cherished so dearly.
While the traditions of dragon boating originate in ancient China, it holds a special place in this South West Queensland.
The club has hosted a number of regattas on the Balonne River in recent years. The regattas have brought community members together as they have donned costumes and embraced the fun-filled competitive spirit of the day.
Dragon boating continues to bring survivors and supporters alike continue to support cancer awareness and fundraising. Kerrie's spirit and legacy lives on in the club she cherished so dearly.
While the traditions of dragon boating originate in ancient China, it holds a special place in this South West Queensland.
Cultural Aspects of Dragon Boating
Dragon Boat Festival celebrates the life and death of Qu Yuan who was a great Chinese poet who lived during the period of the Warring States – a time when China was divided into several kingdoms which were constantly at war with each other, seeking supremacy over the other.
On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month of the Chinese calendar in the year 278BC, while in exile. Qu Yuan heard that the fall of the Kingdom of
Chu, which the capital had fallen into the hands of the Qins. In the ultimate expression of love for his country, Qu Yuan, weighted down with a rock and threw himself into the Miluo River (Hunan Province) and drowned. Boats were launched by the local fishermen in a race to be first to recover Qu Yuan’s body. Dragon Boat racing was born. The furious splashing of paddles and the banging of drums used today which gives the crews there timing has the origin of the fishermen’s bid to scare off fish and other river creatures from defiling his body.
On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month of the Chinese calendar in the year 278BC, while in exile. Qu Yuan heard that the fall of the Kingdom of
Chu, which the capital had fallen into the hands of the Qins. In the ultimate expression of love for his country, Qu Yuan, weighted down with a rock and threw himself into the Miluo River (Hunan Province) and drowned. Boats were launched by the local fishermen in a race to be first to recover Qu Yuan’s body. Dragon Boat racing was born. The furious splashing of paddles and the banging of drums used today which gives the crews there timing has the origin of the fishermen’s bid to scare off fish and other river creatures from defiling his body.