Paddlers with a purpose

What do dragon boat paddlers and breast cancer survivors have in common? A lot, it turns out, because many of them are one and the same.

Evan Tuchinsky

That is particularly true in Marlborough, home of Simply the Breast Dragon Boat Team. With the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month each October, this group of survivors and supporters takes to the water with a new racing season in sight. But there’s more to the effort than competition.

“Breast Cancer month is a time to reflect on the huge impact breast cancer has on so many lives,” said Denise Neal, a member since the end of the team’s first season, 2007-08. “We hope by showing there is life after treatment, women can feel a sense of gaining back control and some normality at the end of treatment.

“Simply the Breast has had a huge impact on not only my physical health but also on my mental well-being,” she added. “We don’t talk about cancer but are there if someone needs a chat.

“It’s great to just get out on the water with strong, determined, like-minded women at all stages of their journey. Being on the water is incredibly peaceful and calming.”

According to the New Zealand Dragon Boat Association, the sport dates back over 2,000 years to China. “Although we are used to seeing 20-seat dragon boats,” NZDBA says, “there are boats with from 10 to 50-plus paddlers, in addition to the drummer and the sweep; sometimes multiple sweeps in the bigger boats.”

Simply the Breast typically competes in the Small Boat category with Dana Goodwin as sweep, responsible for steering and safety. Dana, who also serves as the team’s coach, recently received recognition at the 2025 Marlborough Community & Volunteer of the Year Awards

Origin story

Breast cancer and dragon boating became intertwined in the 1990s. The International Breast Cancer Paddlers’ Commission explains that Dr. Don McKenzie, an exercise physiologist in Canada, “challenged the prevailing medical thinking that woman treated for breast cancer should avoid rigorous upper body exercise for fear of developing lymphoedema, a debilitating and chronic side-effect of treatment.”

A pilot group of 24 paddlers in 1996 not only emerged without lymphoedema, “survivors found they were fitter, healthier and happier.” They also appreciated “camaraderie and support” from the group activity.

Simply the Breast is one of a dozen teams in New Zealand and over 390 in 41 countries. Dana said it “attracts survivors from all walks of life but is primarily focused on breast cancer.”

She is “a late bloomer” in dragon boating, having started just four years ago volunteering with the team. “In a short period of time,” she said, “I was in the boat, and then I was starting to compete.”

The team is active year-round, but October marks the start of its competitive season. That is when training sessions at Blenheim Rowing Club on Sunday mornings expand to Tuesday and Thursday evenings as well.

Simply the Breast enters four regattas a year including in Picton and Wellington – and, among numerous honors, won three silver medals at the 2025 South Island Championships.

“The key element of why we exist as a team is to give people hope,” Dana said. “Our ethos is around supporting people through their breast cancer journey and their recovery post-cancer.”

Anyone interested in participating can visit a practice or email [email protected] for more information. The team also has a page on Facebook.

Awareness Month

When weather permits, Simply the Breast will schedule an Open Day as part of the overarching Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which includes events in Marlborough and elsewhere.

A major gathering is the local Pink Ribbon Street Appeal, a fundraiser for the Breast Cancer Foundation NZ, in Blenheim on 17 and 18 October.

BCFNZ reports that 125 women each year across Marlborough, Nelson and Tasman get diagnosed with breast cancer. In 2024, one of them was Michelle O’Donnell of Blenheim. BCFNZ says that after receiving support from the organisation’s nurse advice line, she “felt compelled to volunteer” on the appeal for BCFNZ “because she knows first-hand that it makes a real difference.”

The foundation receives no government funding, according to its chief executive, Ah-Leen Rayner, “we rely on the generosity of incredible volunteers like Michelle to keep our vital work going. Every dollar raised goes towards our mission to stop New Zealanders dying from breast cancer.”

To join Michelle on the appeal, register at pinkribbonvolunteer.org.nz by 16 October.

Meanwhile, the Seymour Square Fountain and the Clock Tower will light up in pink for BCFNZ’s Global Illuminations campaign. These local icons join more than 90 sites across the country in “sending a message of support and hope during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.”

Check breastcancerfoundation.org.nz/bcam for more about breast cancer and awareness month.