Get fit, have fun and join a community!

Our Values

Positive Mindset: We encourage an attitude of positive energy and gratitude

Fun: We foster fun, through social engagement, training, competing, and volunteering

Nurturing: We have a commitment to supporting and developing our members and our community at both a sporting and personal level. We encourage a culture of inclusivity, understanding, and tolerance within the Club

Respect: We will treat everyone with fairness and respect

Honesty: We value open and honest communications within our organisation and with our stakeholders

Team Focused: We value teamwork and collaboration, both on and off the water

What the Dragonflys are all about.

Our primary mission is to create opportunities for people of all ages to socialise, improve their fitness and enjoy the fun and exhilaration of training and competing in the outdoors on the bay, canals and rivers of Victoria.

**About us**

Peninsula Dragonflys Dragon Boat Club prides itself on being a local community sporting club that has its foundations built on the hard work of its members and supporters together with partnerships with our highly valued sponsors.
We focus on fun, fitness and skill development so that we are competitive in local, interstate, and when the opportunity arises, international regattas. We are also a social and socially inclusive group that is open to all people and we actively support each other, especially in times of need.

Our history

In 2006, my friend Heather and I were dragon boat paddle buddies on the Yarra River and saw the need for a club on the Mornington Peninsula for women recovering from breast cancer. Patterson Lakes Canoe Club at Carrum invited us to share their facilities, and the club was on its way!

With a donated wooden dragon boat, the Peninsula Dragonflys Dragon Boat Club quickly grew and could be seen each weekend, paddling the canals and foreshore of Carrum. By 2010 we’d purchased three fiberglass dragon boats with the help of generous local sponsors and club fundraising activities.

The Peninsula Dragonflys Dragon Boat Club has opened up a new world of sporting activity for many members, their families, and friends. We regularly compete at the Master’s Games, winning gold in 2015 in Adelaide and some of us join the Victorian State Team at the Australian Nationals.

In 2019 we were recognised by Dragonboat Victoria as “Club of the Year” and now 15 years on we’ve grown to an all-inclusive club of over 70 members with a continuing focus on community, competition, and fun!

Patsy Blair - Founding Member

Our competitive edge - the coaches!

Kerrie Waworis
Head Coach

A Dragon Boat paddler since 2008 and Coach of the Dragonflys since 2013, Kerrie’s enthusiasm for the sport is infectious. Kerrie’s belief that training should also be fun helps to engage paddlers of all abilities, build a strong team comradery, and inspires members to strive to be their best both as a paddler and member of the Dragonfly team.

Kerrie has represented Victoria in the National Championships 3 times and also paddled in competitions in China. In the 2015-16 season, Kerrie was awarded the “Dragon Boat Victoria Coaching Achievement Award” in recognition of the team’s improved competitive status.

Racheal Blake
Coach

Racheal was hooked on the sport at 11 and represented Great Britain at 16. Two years later Racheal established her own club, the Cardiff Power Blades. As a UK accredited coach and GB representative paddler and sweep, Racheal became the first female sweep on the Men’s team and competed internationally.

After moving to Australia, Racheal was appointed coach of the Victorian Juniors squad representing Australia, culminating in the 2019 World Championship Senior A women's where Racheal and her crew won gold, silver, and bronze.

Racheal enjoys paddling, sweeping, and supporting the crew to develop all technical aspects of dragon boating so that each member achieves their desired potential

Leanne Pentland
Coach

Leanne first paddled in 2001 for two years. She then came back to the sport in 2015, completing the Level 1 Coach Accreditation Course in 2017. In 2018 Leanne stepped up into a coaching role and represented Victoria in the National Championships that year and again in 2019.

Leanne believes that coaching is a difficult and challenging role in the sport. She believes it can bring extremes in emotions; great joy and great frustration.

For Leanne, the joy of coaching is working with paddlers who want to improve and watching them work hard to better themselves as well as paddlers working together as a team and achieving team results.

Nic Guala
Coach

Nic is a natural Dragon boater, achieving selection for State championships in her first 12 months. Nic is passionate about fitness, competition, and having fun. Leveraging her skills from her professional life, Nic focuses on helping each paddler to achieve their personal goals, be it fitness, competing, or just enjoying the outdoors.