Macquarie Blue paddle-a-thon and river festival
Auction action
Fund-raising for the event took on a different approach with local businesses and organisations invited to bid for a canoe in an 'auction' hosted by Lazy River Winery. In return they got to paddle it in the event and afterwards they were all donated to the Wambangalang Field Studies Centre.
The successful bidders, to whom we say a big thank you were:
Lazy River Winery
Scott's Auto Spares
OzArk EHM
Totally Wild Stained Glass Overlay
Dubbo Macquarie Bushcare Group
Dubbo Macquarie Bushcare Group (yes, twice !)
NSW Industry and Investment (Aquatic Habitat Rehabilitation)
Brennan's Mitre 10
Central West Catchment Management Authority
Wambangalang Field Studies Centre
Choice Home Loans
To help us out Bridgewater Signs also provide in-kind the sign writing on each canoe, these having been provided at a reduced cost to RiverSmart by Anaconda.
Matt Hansen (Ray White Real Estate) our auctioneer, Bill Phillips, CEO RiverSmart and Jen Quealy, Partnership Manager for RiverSmart (Photo: Angela Prior)
Some of the successful (and happy) auction bidders armed with our trademark blue buckets. (Photo: Angela Prior)
The boys from Wambangalang Field Studies Centre
(Photo: Angela Prior)
Tara OÇonnell tells us why an eco-cultural trail along the Macquarie would be good for the river, good for jobs, good for businesses and good for the community.
(Photo: Angela Prior)
Preparing to depart Butler's Falls Reserve
(Photo: Jen Quealy)
Some happy paddlers leaving Hippo's Beach
at the
Lazy River Estate
(Photo: Jen Quealy)
Checkpoint Tim Hosking. Was he at every checkpoint some were asking ? (Photo: Libby McIntyre)
Macca, the RiverSmart canoe takes to the river with expert paddlers at the helm ! (Photo: Libby McIntyre)
Blue buckets were popular with all ages
(Photo: Jen Quealy)
Some of the not so pretty things we saw !
(Photo: Jen Quealy)
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More photos from the auction
The milling (and swilling) crowd at the canoe auction. (Photo: Angela Prior)
Our sponsors and supporters
There are many organisations who made this event possible through their support and generous contributions. We would like to thank them all here.
Central West Catchment Management
Authority - our
diamond sponsor !
Brennan's Mitre 10 in Dubbo - support in many
ways and supplier
of our trademark blue buckets
Pamela and Peter Scott of Lazy River Winery
2DU and ZooFM - media partners
MacDonald's Australia - for helping to make Macca
the platypus come
to life
The Coca Cola Foundation
Banana Boat
Anaconda
St George Bank
Coates Hire
Ray White Real Estate
J R Richards & Sons
Containers Converted
Western Tilt Tray
ABC radio (Dugald Saunders)
Taronga Western Plains Zoo
Tony and Sheri Dunn (Outdoor Store)
Twin Rivers Fishing and Outdoors, Wellington
Paddle NSW
BTW Communications
Coles Supermarket
Honest to Goodness
Harris Farm Markets
Dubbo PhotoNews
Office Works, Dubbo
Lewis Burns
Dubbo Search and Rescue and the Rural Fire
Service
Dubbo Girl Guides
Dubbo Macquarie Bushcare Group and Dubbo Field
Naturalist and
Conservation
Society
Dubbo South Rotary
The Central West CMA team warming up their smiles for the auction. (Photo: Angela Prior)
Dragon boating was a huge hit at Macquarie Blue.
(Photo: Jen Quealy)
Shona Whitfield, Macquarie RiverSmart Facilitator and Bill Phillips, CEO of RiverSmart Australia.
(Photo: Angela Prior)