Length: 12.2m
Construction: Ply
Owner: DA Gippsland Waratahs, Paynesville
The dragon boat Dragon Threads was originally commissioned by Navy apprentices at the Naval dockyards at Williamstown in the mid-1980s. The boat was given into the care of the team at HMAS Cerberus. The Navy eventually relinquished the boat and it languished at the National Water Sport Centre at Carrum for some years and sustained a small hole in the hull.
The Gippsland Waratahs was a support group for survivors of breast cancer based in Sale and Bairnsdale. Members of the group became interested in dragon boat paddling when it was identified that it was an excellent sport for survivors of breast cancer to participate in as an aid to recovery and to promote good health.
The boat was acquired by the newly formed Gippsland Waratahs Dragon Boat Club in 2009 and was beautifully restored by the members of the Paynesville Men's Shed. Mandy Nelson did the design of the scales on the hull, one of the members of the group who sadly died shortly after the restoration work was launched. The boat was formally blessed by a Buddhist monk and launched on a cold morning in May 2010. With a full boat of novice paddlers, and a crowd of dignitaries and on-lookers, she capsized - the one and only time this has happened. Laughing, all the paddlers emerged from the water safely and promptly got back in and paddled out, completing a "flowers on the water" ceremony to remember those who have passed away from breast cancer.
The name Dragon Threads was chosen because it represents the strength when many threads are combined together. The club now has three more boats, and Dragon Threads has been reserved for ceremonial duties.