Paddlers for Public Education participated in the Hawkesbury Canoe Classic from Windsor to Brooklyn.

Paddlers glide through fog and hazards

Public education was among the winners at a recent charity event.

Five members of the Paddlers for Public Education team were placed first in their categories in the 2007 Hawkesbury Canoe Classic. The event is an overnight ultra marathon canoe race from Windsor to Brooklyn (111 kilometres).

The team consisted of Claire Shanahan, David Broad, Renae Watkins, Lawrence Brayne, Bill Forrester, John Turnbull and Geoff Turnbull.

The triumph of the night belonged to Renae who broke the record for her class, was the first paddler to cross the line and came second overall on handicap.

The team raised $4755 for the Arrow Foundation, a registered charity which provides funds for cancer research at St Vincent's Hospital. The Foundation's charter is to fight leukaemia and breast cancer through bone marrow and stem cell transplantation.

Describing their experience Geoff said: "Around 7.30pm a full moon rose in a cloudless sky. The night was mild and we were travelling well until 2.30am when a thick fog rolled in which made navigation difficult. Those of us in smaller craft were able to paddle cautiously following the outline of the bank for about three hours when the fog began to lift. The downside was that overhanging trees, stumps and rocks were a constant hazard. Unfortunately David and Claire in a long, straight-line sea kayak were forced to stay in the main channel where the fog was thickest."

"We were certainly tested on the night but the sense of achievement at the end, the money raised and the promotion of public education makes it all worthwhile," he said."

"Our red Paddlers for Public Education T-shirts bearing the NSW Teachers Federation logo prompted a number of positive comments from other paddlers and land crew members."

"We want to thank everyone who contributed to this very worthy cause, particularly the NSW Teachers Federation for their sponsorship and the Randwick College Student Association, the Lake Macquarie Teachers Association and the Wyong Teachers Association for their generous support," he added.

Geoff also paid tribute to the team's land crews: "Without our wonderful land crews our success would not have been possible. They met us at our two pit-stops with hot food and drinks, helped our aching bodies back into the canoes and sent us off with warm words of encouragement. The achievement of the team belongs as much to the land crews as to the paddlers."

If you are interested in joining the paddlers in next year's Classic as part of the Paddlers for Public Education team email Claire at claire.shanahan@bigpond.com or Geoff at Geoff.Turnbull@det.nsw.edu.au

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