Palm Lake Resort Paynesville sponsorship of the local Kingfisher Dragon Boat Club
If there’s one thing Palm Lake Resort is proud of, it’s supporting the local communities that our resorts call home. And Paynesville is no exception.
With Palm Lake Resort’s arrival in Paynesville, Victoria, came the opportunity to support a new local community – a community that we know will one day soon support our homeowners. Former Palm Lake Resort Sales Consultant Jacky Poulter learned of the local Kingfisher Dragon Boat Club and its plight to fund a new dragon boat.
“Team sports, like dragon boating, are a wonderful way for like-minded Paynesville community members and our future homeowners to come together and enjoy each other’s company while capitalising on the incredible natural environment here at Paynesville,” Jacky explains. “Palm Lake Resort is all about building like-minded communities and providing our homeowners with the kinds of enriching activities that keep them active, healthy and engaged which is why we were so keen to assist the Kingfisher Dragon Boat Club in sourcing their first new dragon boat.”
If you’re not familiar with the sport, dragon boat racing has a significant and rich history, with traditional dragon boating spanning more than 1000 years across southern China. Dragon boating celebrates the life and death of Qu Yuan, a patriotic poet who drowned in the Mi-Luo River. According to legend, when news of his drowning broke, boats were launched by the local fishermen in a race to recover Qu Yuan’s body. The furious splashing of paddles and banging of drums was originally about scaring away fish but, these days, the same splashing and drumming is a technique to keep the competing paddlers in time.
At the Paynesville boat’s official ‘Awakening the dragon’ blessing ceremony, there were a number of traditional ceremonial activities performed:
- The dragon’s eye was dotted with paint to awaken it and also protect paddlers, volunteers and spectators.
- A spring onion was placed in the dragon’s mouth because tradition states it’s hungry after its sleep.
- Water was splashed on the dragon to bless it.
- And the throwing of dumplings symbolises the rice dumplings that were thrown into the water to prevent fish from eating Qu Yuan’s body.
While the Kingfisher Dragon Boat Club is relatively new to Paynesville, the Palm Lake Resort-sponsored vessel will help with the promotion and development of this fledgling club and the sport of dragon boating in general, not to mention assisting with members’ training. Jacky, who has since retired from Palm Lake Resort after many years of dedicated and loyal service, says the club caters to all ages and levels of experience. She encouraged interested locals to keep tabs on this passionate group and join in the fun.
“I look forward to seeing where the Kingfisher Dragon Boat Club take their sport into the future,” Jacky said.