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12 November 2007
Varsity Lakes floats dragon boats in the race to cure cancer
Local Nurse of the Year fundraiser, Wendy Fawns, said the festival will raise funds for the Cancer Council of Queensland.
“In 2006 we raised $8,000 and this year we’re hoping to raise even more money.
“We are inviting teams of doctors and nurses and their family and friends to compete for a good cause.
“So far we have teams from across the South-East region, including the Gold Coast Hospital, John Flynn, Pindara, and Allamanda Private Hospitals and Brisbane’s Princess Alexandra Hospital.
“New entrants and teams are more than welcome to register.”
Mrs Fawns has 47 years’ experience as a nurse and said her fundraising was inspired by her personal and professional experiences with cancer.
“We all know someone who has experienced cancer and this event is an important way of bringing people together to encourage healing while fundraising for a cure.
“I lost both my brothers to cancer, one at age 26 and one at age 32, and this is my way of celebrating their memory so that we can promote medical research into cancer and find a cure,” she said.
Dragon boats have a secure home on the waters of Varsity Lakes, following the Gold Coast Dragon Boat Club’s selection of the award winning address as the prime location for training and competition.
President of the club, Kylie Bade-Peters, said Varsity Lakes was chosen because of the perfect mix of convenient access to water, surrounded by residential villages, numerous businesses and educational and community facilities.
“Varsity Lakes is a great destination for dragon boating, and a great place for a fundraising festival like this one.
“Last year we had over 500 people join in the fun, drawing on a strong network of support from local networks and community participation thanks to Wendy’s fundraising.”
With 55 members, the club’s training season runs from September to April, with weekly sessions on Varsity Lakes’ Lake Orr.
“In addition to the annual dragon boat fundraising festival, we run healthy and active life initiatives for people of all ages, including social evenings, weekends away and paddling programs for young people,” Ms Bade-Peters said.
“The support of Delfin is one of the most important and positive community partnerships that we have.”
Carl Bruhn, Varsity Lakes Senior Project Director, said the dragon boat club were making a healthy contribution to Varsity Lakes’ sport and recreation programs.
“The festival next Saturday aligns with our strong belief that understanding and participation helps to achieve great outcomes for all members of our community.
“We are proud to support an event that helps such a worthy cause and hope that the festival raises strong funds for the Cancer Council of Queensland.”
In addition to dragon boating, Varsity Lakes’ has a range of physical activities and programs for community members, including touch football, beach volleyball, soccer, boxercise, and yoga.
Varsity Lakes was crowned one of Australia’s best communities in March 2007 by the Urban Development Institute of Australia, winning the National UDIA President’s Award.
Upon completion, Varsity Lakes will have 3,000 homes, set on 343 hectares and up to 150,000sqm of commercial space in Varsity Central. It will become home to 7,800 residents and 4,500 employees.
Delfin Lend Lease is Australia’s largest developer of master-planned communities, with 25 trading communities across Australia.media
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