“The
club’s forty this year. Perhaps we should do
something?” Paul’s words were where it all
started. Forty years is a long time for any club
but for a
white water kayak club in one of the driest continents in the world,
definitely an achievement.
We set a date, 16th
November 2008 and commenced working on the
logistics. We
started by emailing current and recent members. It
was
on. Now to track down previous members.
Searching
through old records we found membership lists from different eras and
then we came across a box of membership cards. We’d
struck
gold. These were the original membership
cards.
It was then that we found out when the club actually started, 18th
November, 1969! It was the 39th anniversary, oh
well, close
enough.
The day arrived and members, old and new, came, with partners and
children in tow.
A
selection of kayaks graphically demonstrated the transformation of
kayaks over the last 40 years. From fiberglass to
plastic,
long to short, light to heavy, fragile to strong, homemade to
manufactured and most importantly from cheap to
expensive!
Also proudly displayed was the famous spit. For
many years
the spit has turned meat into a fantastic taste
sensation.
A variety of maintenance over the years has almost totally replaced the
original parts but club members still sit around patiently watching the
spit slowly turn and the meat sizzle, wondering when they will actually
get to eat.
In the windows printing screens were
displayed. Classic screens such as the stinking
pig, the
canoe polo player in the boat and the famous WHCC flipper like
screen. A theme of many screens was the Whitehorse
Bush
Triathlon, including the screen depicting a horse with a paddle in its
mouth, a sick looking horse and the cycle, ride, run
screen.
Nearby a collection of photos and old albums were displayed showing people and activities from different eras. A black and white photo of a paddler in a home made kayak, helmet less and paddling a rapid now underwater gave a glimpse of the club’s beginnings. Other photos showed the transition in kayaks and gear. But mainly there were lots of people. People standing beside rivers, sitting on river banks, wearing paddling gear, holding paddles and kayaks, sitting around camp fires and paddling canoes and kayaks. Certainly it is the people that the club is all about.
Projected
on a screen were more photos, photos from Alan Wells’ collection of
early trips on the Mitta Mitta, Thomson, Yarra, Big and slalom events,
particularly events on the now gone Whale’s Head rapid, slide shows of
past trips and Jol Shelton’s famous video of a trip down the Snowy
River at 2 metres. Amazing how much younger we all
look in
it. But probably the display that attracted the
most
attention was Walter’s river matrix.
Walter had prepared a
matrix of river sections. Some were popular trips,
some
were obscure and some long disappeared under dams.
Arguments raged over rivers that hadn’t made the
list. But
the judge’s decision was final. It came as no
surprise that
as it was Walter’s idea and Walter selected the river sections, that
Walter ended out recording the most river sections.
While the
river matrix held the attention of the old paddlers, the next
generation of paddlers took to the water. The club
raft,
‘Reg’ proved a hit with the kids. No rapids but
lots of
action was had and fortunately no swimmers!
Finally to the formal part of the evening, first the cakes! Louise and Catherine had made some great cakes. Louise’s cake represented a typical paddling trip, a swimmer thrashing around in whitewater while a throw rope sailed overhead. Catherine’s cakes depicted the club’s 40th anniversary logo and the always present river.
Now the speeches:
It
was only fitting that Trevor Thiele was the first
speaker.
Trevor recalled the creation of the club by brothers, Trevor and Kevin,
friends and family. Original members were Neville
and Pat
Armstrong, Bruce and Dora Pearce, Ian Richards, Kevin and Linda Thiele,
Lorraine and Trevor Thiele, Bronwyn Thiele and Alan
Wells.
Those original members argued about a name but finally settled on
‘Whitehorse’ as most of them lived in the Boxhill
area. A
large amount of time was spent making boats in various parent’s houses
for that first big trip to the Mitta Mitta. Many
trips
followed with jaffle iron and Stones Green Ginger wine vital
ingredients. They were adventurous times with
rivers and
rapids being run for the first time. Slaloms were a
focus
of those early years but a trip by brothers, Ian and Peter Richards and
Rod Harris clearly shows the adventurous spirit of the early
members. In 1971 they paddled their kayaks across
Bass
Strait. They hopped from one island to the next but
a storm
nearly brought disaster. They finally made it to
Tasmania
and the title of the first people to paddle from Victoria to Tasmania.
John
Templer took over from Trevor to continue the story of the
club. The creation of the Barkley River Race and
some epic
swims by participants. Then the morphing of the
river race
into the Whitehorse Bush Triathlon and major
sponsorship.
The development of the annual club itinerary with the Christmas/New
Year trip down the Snowy River, the triathlon and the Queens Birthday
Mitchell trip.
Then it was Walter’s turn to regal us with days
past but he couldn’t be found. Apparently he was
called
away at the crucial time by work but said his speech was the best ever
and would have put all the others to shame.
Finally it was my turn as the current president, and here are the
edited highlights….
‘A
lot has changed over the last 40 years.
We now have
to decide which boat to use; should I take the creek boat, the play
boat or just settle for the river runner. Paddles
are made
of carbon fibre and there are another set of decisions to make; bent
shaft – straight shaft, symmetrical blade – asymmetrical blade, no off
set – small off set. New fibres keep us warm and
dry. Gortex dry tops, dry suits, thermals, skull
caps,
poggies and neoprene socks all help to keep us
comfortable.
We have GPSs, river maps, river guides and river levels on line to make
sure we don’t get lost and that the river is just right.
However
for the last 10 years we’ve had droughts and low river
levels. And this seems likely to continue, making
it a
constant challenge to be a white water paddler.
But some things haven’t changed:
The
challenge of pitting your skills against the rapids and hopefully
coming out the bottom upright and exhilarated. The
sense of
adventure. The companionship.
Being able to
share experiences with others, whether it’s working together to get
down a river or sharing a meal at the end of the
paddle. And finally the pure joy of
getting away from
it all and being on a river.
The purpose of celebrating the
anniversary was to remember and reminisce about the past but to also
look forward to the future. So happy anniversary
and may
there be many more returns.’
Thanks to the committee, Paul,
Walter, Brandon, Margarita, Anthony, Charlotte, Jimmy and me, Alison,
for making it a day to remember. Now for the real
40th
anniversary!
