Dragon Boat Race

Louise, a long time member of St. Charles Parish, is on a paddling team which will be participating in the Manitoba Dragon Boat Festival. She will be collecting for the Canadian Cancer Society - please give generously. The following is Louise’s story.

Dragon boat racing is an ancient Chinese ceremony that symbolizes humanity’s struggle with nature and its fight against deadly enemies.

Each year, the Canadian Cancer Society Manitoba Dragon Boat Festival brings together corporate and community teams for a weekend of fun, entertainment and racing. Over 150 teams race on the Red at the Forks National Historic Site, the second weekend of September.

Each team will do 3 races, on a 500 meter course in a boat that measures 12 meters in length and weighs 1,500 pounds. A team is composed of 20 paddlers, a steers-person and a drummer. My team, named “Bold strokes”, was formed in 2001 and I was invited to join the team in 2003. We are bold women from a variety of professional backgrounds - nurses, teachers, a physiotherapist, and a lawyer.

We prepare for our weekend of races by monthly meetings starting in early spring, and in July and August we practice on the river. I personally prepare by walking every day as well as doing arm strengthening exercises.

Our team has consistently has been one of the top ten fundraising teams and one of the top women’s teams in terms of race times. In 2010, our team was the female champions.

The personal connection the group’s members have to cancer is what keeps our efforts in the Dragon Boat Festival alive. Research is important as each minute discovery is a link to finding a cure for cancer.

All the money raised stays in the province and is donated to our Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute - Manitoba Division.

I continue to do this for the cause. It’s hard work, but it is my way of contributing to find a cure for this disease.

Our Annual Outdoor Mass and Picnic

St. Charles Parish Cemetery has stood on the banks of the Assiniboine River since 1868. Once a year the parishioners gather there to celebrate Mass around grave stones marking the final resting place of many of our friends and family. Thank you to Ron Desilets and his volunteers for keeping the cemetery in excellent shape - cutting the grass, planting trees and flowers, repairing the headstones, requires many hours of hard work.

After Mass the parishioners relocated by the river, under the beautiful oak trees and enjoyed a picnic. The children participated in organized games including tug-of-war. Thanks to the Knights of Columbus for the hot dogs and hamburgers and the ladies of the parish for the salads, baked beans and dainties.

Here is a video