The Cairns Dragon Boat Club (CDBC) started in 2006 as a Dragons Abreast group, as part of Dragon Boating for Breast Cancer Survivors, run by a small team calling themselves the ‘Itty Bitty Titty’ Committee.
In February 2009 the Club was formed and became a member of Dragon Boat Queensland (DBQ) with a team of breast cancer survivors. The club grew from these beginnings and has members from the broader community. It continues to promote the benefits of dragon boating for breast and prostate cancer survivors as well as fun, fitness, and friendship for all members.
CDBC originally paddled from the Cairns Cruising Yacht Squadron and in 2019 moved to its current home at the end of Tingira Street, Portsmith.
The club enjoys great relationships with dragon boat clubs in North Queensland: NQ Phoenix DBC (Townsville), Townsville DBC, and Mackay DBC. We travel to Townsville regularly to participate in regattas. The Club attended their first State Titles in March 2010 and continues to attend State and National Titles when possible. The club has also attended Masters Games and the Pan Pacific Games regularly.
Internationally, the club have attended regattas in China twice and participated in festivals and other cultural programs. We were the first dragon boat club to be invited to an Exchange University Program in China. In May 2018, CDBC attended the Bali Badung International Dragon Boat Festival and the 23rd Annual California Dragon Boat Festival on Lake Merritt, Oakland.
About Dragon Boating
Dragon boating is a special Chinese tradition originating from the Pearl River Delta in what is now the southern province of Guangdong. A classic dragon has the head of an ox; a deer's antlers; the mane of a horse; the body and scales of a snake; the claws of an eagle; and the tail of a fish. With its strength and power the dragon rides the clouds in the sky and commands the wind, mist and rain.
In ancient China the dragon boat was used for religious purposes as a way of appeasing the rain gods. Later Qu Yuan, the great warrior poet, committed suicide in the river Mi Lo, as a protest against the political corruption of the day. To commemorate this sacrifice the people began to organize Dragon Boat Races in his memory. Since that time over 2000 years ago, Dragon Boat Racing has become a major part of Chinese culture, representing patriotism and group integrity.
The sport accessible for able bodied and disabled paddlers alike, and it manages to retain the competitive spirit while working as a team in harmony.
