Enjoy the CDU Newsletter

Published: Fri, 08/08/25

Updated: Fri, 08/08/25

8th August 2025 CDU Newsletter 901

Terry 0417977330
terry@canoeingdownunder.com.au (email)
https://terrybolland.wordpress.com/ (trips & achievements)
https://canoeingdownunder.wordpress.com (website)
https://www.facebook.com/terry.bolland.1 (facebook)

Last September I caught up with my mum in England. She wanted to live until she reached 100 years.

Last week at 98.7 years old she died. She had just had her hair done and the hairdresser had put her to bed. Then her heart just stopped. The hairdresser who had been doing mum's hair for years tried CPR but she wasn't able to revive her.

I was going to visit her in September after the World Masters Championships.

Two weeks before she died we a had a facetime talk. Although she was now needing oxygen most of the time she could still chatter as if she was 20 and get a joke and my sarcasm.

Good luck to those paddlers going in the Avon Descent. Remember to check out my Avon River Guide before you go to bed on Saturday night.

https://terrybolland.wordpress.com/avon-river-guide/

I'm missing it out this year as I'm hoping to do the most kilometres on a SUP this month, (that will be 10 months) which for me, as I'm going to the World Masters Canoe Marathon will be short month as I'm flying out on the 27th August.

I will be doing a 17 km race on Sunday which could be tough going as half of that distance is heading upstream.

Luckily for all those paddlers going in the Avon Descent we have had a few days of rain. The conditions have been pretty wild at times. Because I'm doing the SUP Challenge I just couldn't sit inside and look out of the window.

The World Games 2025

Australia’s top Canoe Marathon paddlers, Josh Kippin and Rebecca Mann, will don the green and gold at The World Games 2025 in Chengdu, China, from 9 – 10 August.

Held every four years, The World Games brings together over 4,000 athletes across 34 sports, 60 disciplines and 256 medal events.

For the Canoe Marathon discipline, this year marks the first time Australian athletes will return to the competition after missing qualification in 2021 due to COVID disruptions.

Both Josh and Rebecca are embracing the opportunity to return to the international stage.

“I’m feeling really good and excited to be racing in China,” Kippin said.

“The conditions look like they’ll be hot and humid, which will definitely be a challenge coming out of winter.

“I’ve strung together some solid training blocks this year and everything has come together nicely and I’m ready to get back racing.”

“I’m feeling excited mostly, a little bit of nerves which is to be expected,” Mann said.

“My preparation has been as good as it can be. I’m happy with the effort I’ve made and can line up knowing I’ve put in the work.”

Both Kippin and Mann will arrive in Chengdu alongside Australian ICF Technical Official Jerry Dunn, who will serve as Chief Portage Official for the event.

With a long-standing contribution to the sport, The World Games marks Dunn’s first time officiating at this prestigious multi-sport event.

“The World Games is considered equivalent to the Olympic Games for non-Olympic sports,” Dunn said.

“It will be a different experience, and I may even get to march in the Opening Ceremony.”

Paddle Australia.

Rebecca Mann. Australia's best female marathon paddler.

Josh Kippin. Australia's best male marathon paddler.

Met up with Genevieve Stanley (in my C1 that I have given her to paddle) and Olympian and coach Ramon Andersson.

Genevieve who has been training very hard is getting ready for the World Canoe Marathon Championships.

Bells Wild Water Racing

John Dinucci at Bolland's Elbow.

There were two sprint races at Bells Rapids which provided the thrills and spills we come to expect. There was some fantastic Wildwater racing leading into both the Avon Descent and our 8th and final race of the season in Bridgetown.

Full results:

Lower Bells Sprint - https://www.webscorer.com/race?raceid=399943

Upper Bells Sprints (Best of 2) -

https://www.webscorer.com/seriesresult?seriesid=392388

Class Standings - https://www.webscorer.com/seriesresult?seriesid=392386

The Wild Water Championships are on the
Blackwood River, Bridgetown 16th & 17th August.

Avon Descent Training

Jane Liddle (above) and Grant Pepper and Avon partner Arielle Fontaine (below).

Photos Jane Liddle.

Celebrating 50 Years of Paddling

1982 in the Kimberley

Relaxing in my hammock hoping I am high enough off the ground that a crocodile can't get me.

A crocodile patrols the shoreline.

Paddling through The Gaps or the Horizontal Waterfalls that is is known by now.

Before all the hype.

The tracks indicate a visitor came into my camp in the night,

I heard a noise and luckily it turned out to be a turtle.

I met Malcolm Douglas and Sean Dixon for a short time on Cockatoo Island.

They left in two canoes and Malcolm returned a little later as he had forgotten his dog.

A Costly Mistake

I got a bit of a shock when I checked my airline ticket to Hungary and found that the name on the ticket was Terence Edward Ronald and my surname Bolland was no-where to be seen.

I had booked through Webjet so I contacted them. There was a lot of waiting and switching from one operator to another and eventually I was told that they would contact Qatar Airlines.

I was a little baffled how I would leave my surname off the registration form especially as the form asks for my given names and surname twice. (I also booked two other tickets through Webjet a day or two later and they had the correct name on.) I could only think that the information that I wrote down on the Webjet site was transferred to Qatar Airlines by someone and they forgot to put my surname down. But I don’t know if that could happen and I couldn't really prove it?

Four days later they sent me a letter with general AI information on and for me to contact them. They had spelled Terence as Terrence so that wasn’t a good start and it didn’t give me much confident in them. The letter that I received did say that if there were more than 3 letters needing correction the ticket had to be cancelled and another purchased. Because there were more than 3 letters needing correction I did have to cancel the one I had, and a new one purchased. (The letter did say:- Airline’s fare rules state that the ticket is refundable, less a cancellation fee of $591.80.) Whow!

When I contacted them a day after the letter I waited and waited before getting an operator and when I did they sent me to another operator so I waited and waited again. Due to the operators not being Australian it was hard to understand them at times.

Eventually they cancelled my ticket with Terence Edward Ronald on and then I had to go back onto their site and book another ticket. By now it had been over 3 weeks since I booked so the fare had gone up $200.00 so with losing $591.00, the cancellation fee, it meant that I have lost $800.00 because of the mistake that I don’t know if I was responsible for or not.

I have learnt that when I am booking through a booking agent I need to take a photo of what I have put down. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t my mistake, although I can't be sure, but whatever happened, it was a lot of money to lose.

And I’m not sure if I will use Webjet again.

Birds Along The Way

Red Tailed Black Cockatoo.

Corellas.

Spoonbill.

I have done a lot of dark paddling in the last two months.

Looking towards the Garratt Road Bridge and the city.

A near full moon Thursday evening.

Down Wind

Registrations now open for the 3rd and final race of the 2025 IOP Winter Series.

This event will start and finish at Sorrento SLSC, on Saturday 16th August, 2025.

Registrations close 5pm on Thursday, 14th August 2025.

Sprint Racing dates.

Link | Link | Link | Link

terry@canoeingdownunder.com.au
http://www.canoeingdownunder.com.au

5a Ashfield Parade
Bassendean WA 6054
AUSTRALIA

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