2011
Hawkesbury Canoe Classic 2011
Newsletter: August 7, 2011
http://www.canoeclassic.asn.au 21-23 OctoberWith over 20 at training on each of the past three Sundays, most boats would now have a name on them although there is still a few unallocated (if you thought that you had missed the boat). Thanks to all for being such an easy group to work with and to the landcrew who have helped with the BBQ.
We have 43 paddlers on the books at present. Please make sure you watch the website for booking forms and return them as requested. Register through the HCC website as soon as possible and read the info on it. Online entries need to be completed by Aug 28 and entry fees paid and raffle books, etc ordered. Don’t order maps. There are some 150 entries in and only 600 spots so don’t wait if you know your boat and class. TAS is the club and if you don’t have landcrew put down my name: Peter Hall 0427 255 685. Edwards bus, white Rego TV 2626
We plan to have a paddlers and landcrew dinner on Friday, August 19, starting at 5.30 pm, to discuss accommodation, transport and clothing, etc. Wendy McLean from the HCC organizing committee will be there to hand out raffle books and receipt books and brief paddlers and landcrew on the race. She’ll also test lifejackets during the day and tag them
There are also forms at the dinner that have details of bus and accommodation bookings on the Hawkesbury weekend, Grafton weekend and Myall Lakes Classic.
With all these forms, either download them, complete them and hand them in to Reception or email them back to me.
The training following the Dinner (Aug 21) will be an extended paddle at Malpas Dam from 8.30 am to 1.30 am with a sausage sizzle supplied for paddlers and landcrew.
Dinner Booking form Return to Reception by Wednesday, August 18 or emailed to phall@as.edu.au
The 35th Hawkesbury Canoe Classic will take place on October 22 and 23 this year. TAS will again enter a large squad of paddlers, all hoping to complete the 111 kilometres from Windsor to Brooklyn Bridge under the light of a full moon.
This continues the proud tradition at TAS of challenge and service through this unique event. The Classic is still one of the great physical and mental challenges available to our students in a relatively safe environment. It is also the primary source of funds for bone marrow research and TAS paddlers contributed over $50 000 in 2010.
We are looking for keen and determined paddlers to join our team. Training, boats and all equipment are supplied or arranged as well as transport, accommodation and the support of a land crew during the event. Our boats include single and double kayaks and we can cater for 50 paddlers. Students from Years 10 and 11 can paddle with a friend or their parent and we also cater for adult pairings (although students have the first option on boats). Parents and friends can also experience the event by being part of the land crew.
Training will take place throughout Term 3 with expert tuition available both in paddling and race conditioning and preparation. Trainings occur every Sunday morning at Malpas Dam. Training starts on Sunday, July 24. Details are on the website. If you don’t train, then you don’t compete.
If you think that you would like to be involved download the information sheet, costs and expression of interest form from this website.
We can email or fax information to parents and friends who may wish to reserve a place in the 2011 Classic. NEGS and PLC students are very welcome, provided that they have landcrew support.
You can only reserve a place with the TAS team by completing and returning the Expression of Interest form.
Expression of Interest in Hawkesbury
This is an experience not to be missed and part of the rich heritage of TAS.
2011 - Hawkesbury Equipment Requirements
Click here to go to the official Hawkesbury Canoe Classic website
Hawkesbury Canoe Classic 2010
Students break records in 111km canoe classic27 OCTOBER, 2010FOUR Armidale students set two new class records in the 34th 111km overnight Hawkesbury Canoe Classic last weekend, despite rainy and windy conditions which forced organisers to pull many boats in early.
The Armidale School students Ben Brunckhorst, of Armidale, and Levi McKenzie-Kirkbright, a boarder from Sydney, came home first in the Junior Long Rec 2 class in a time of 13 hours 11 minutes, bettering by 42 minutes the previous record set by Simon Pain and Lachlan Shaw of TAS in 2005. The pair was part of a team of 66 paddlers from TAS, New England Girls School and Presbyterian Ladies College Armidale who competed in the challenging event, in which paddlers canoe overnight rom Windsor to Brooklyn along a 111km stretch of the river to raise money for bone marrow research. “The most challenging part from midnight onwards as we were alone, it was raining, it was dark and the finish was still 50km away,” Ben said.
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“We had to help another boat over to the edge after they had capsized at four in the morning and hoped it wouldn't happen to us too. The race was a great thing to do – from setting the goal of the record and then achieving it; paddling with friends; the support through the night, and great food.”
Lorne Gurney of TAS and Sarah Barker from NEGS also established a new record in the Mixed Junior Rec2 class of 15:36. Others to come first in their class were Angus Trenerry and Tim Pearson who were first in the MJRec2 class (14:17); Brittany Sisson and Georgia Diebold (PLC) first in the LJRec2 class (15:03) and Camilla Elliot and Lexie McCullagh (NEGS) in the same class. The fastest male doubles from the contingent were Angus McDouall and Archie Campbell, and Rod and Cam Banks both with times under 12:30 with Rob Adams achieving the fastest single in a time of 12:29. Father and son pairing of Will and Josh Moloney also recorded a respectable time of 12:56 leading home six father- and-son entries. While only two of the contingent’s 36 boats withdrew from the race, only 25 boats made the full distance, the remainder being stopped by race organisers at the 98km checkpoint, due to the adverse weather conditions between there and the finish.
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Together, the paddlers raised more than $40,000 for the Arrow Foundation, supporting research into stem cell and bone marrow transplants for leukaemia sufferers (half of this coming from donations from the Count Charitable Foundation, represented by Will Warrick and Sam Notley of Roberts & Morrow, both paddlers with the TAS team).
Supporting the Armidale schools’ contingent were landcrew made up of more than 75 parents, staff, and friends. TAS had the single most entries in the event, which it has supported for more than 30 years. Students from Duval College, UNE, also took part. “The event involved all members of the TAS community from Board members to students, parents and staff, and was a positive and unifying experience for all,” contingent organiser and event veteran Peter Hall of TAS said.
(photos by Tim Hughes)
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Click here to go to the official Hawkesbury Canoe Classic website
Hawkesbury Canoe Classic 2009
Click here to go to 2009 photograph album (including Grafton training run)
The 32nd Hawkesbury Canoe Classic took place on October 24 and 25, with TAS again entering a large squad of paddlers, all hoping to complete the 111 kilometres from Windsor to Brooklyn Bridge under the light of a full moon.
This continued the proud tradition at TAS of challenge and service through this unique event.
The Classic is still one of the great physical and mental challenges available to our students in a relatively safe environment. It is also the primary source of funds for bone marrow research and has contributed over $1.5 million in the past 31 years.
Hawkesbury Canoe Classic 2008
The Hawkesbury Canoe Classic attracted 54 entries from TAS, NEGS, and PLC students, Old Boys, parents and friends. There were 2 singles, 26 doubles and the only Dou to enter the event. They were supported by a land crew of over 60 parents, staff and friends. The provisional results for the Hawkesbury are published below. These show that 3 junior pairs have broken their respective class records.The TAS pair of Ricky MacCormick and Richard Nixon recorded a handicap time of 12:38:45 to better the record in the Junior Mens Rec2 class by an hour and 40 minutes. Similarly the 2 NEGS crews of Kate Miles and Courtney Waugh and Polly Witts and Aysha McCoy finished with identical handicap times of 11:13:32 to claim the record in the Junior Ladies Rec2 class.
The fastest boat was that of staff member Will Caldwell and parent Angus McDouall in 12:58:08. The slowest boat to finish, an honour celebrated by the ‘Up the Creek’ trophy was the only Dou in the event paddled by the TAS Headmaster, Murray Guest and his wife Joanne in a little over 19 hours.
In all, 20 boats finished the race, representing 71% of the squad, with a number completing milestones such as their 5th or 10th finish. The senior paddler in the group and event organiser, Peter Hall, paired with James MsEwan to complete his 10th Hawkesbury Classic in just under 15 hours.
Despite the large numbers, the event ran well from a TAS point of view and this was largely due to the six team captains: Pip Warrick, Anna Barnier, Geoff Derrin, Sue Wheaton, Catriona McCrae and Alan Jones. Alan also jumped in a boat at the 65 km mark to help his son, Nick finish after he had lost his partner through fatigue.
A big thankyou to Tim Scott for driving, and Keldin Malik, Dean Moritz and Sebastian Ferrier for all their logistical support and cooking throughout the night.
A special thankyou to Max Tavener, Jack Abbott, Denise Coombes and Simon Ball who had the enormous job of packing, delivering, setting up and returning all the support gear as well as cooking at various major checkpoints.
This event has become part of the fabric of the school and has all the hallmarks of TAS: real challenge, service and a community effort. We also raised over $35000 for the major charity, The Arrow Foundation, supporting research into stem cell and bone marrow transplants.
This was particularly relevant to TAS and NEGS, who lost former students Arjun Daniel and Fiona Reynolds to cancer recently. Funds raised at the two schools had earlier enabled new boats, named after the two students, to be constructed and paddled in the event.
I would like to finish by thanking all the parents and friends who travelled long distances with little sleep to support their paddlers. I hope that it was a rewarding experience. If you have any photos, we would appreciate you sending a copy to Anne White on awhite@as.edu.au for our web gallery and later press articles.
Peter Hall
2007
The Hawkesbury Canoe Classic 2007 attracted 64 entries from TAS, NEGS, PLC and AHS students, Old Boys, parents and friends.There were 7 singles, 29 doubles and the only open Canadian to enter the event. They were supported by a land crew of over 80 parents, staff and friends. The first paddler to finish was TAS Old Boy, John Forsythe in 9 hours 41 mins, breaking his record by 3 minutes. The last to finish were Murray and Joanne Guest in just over 19 hours, also breaking their best time.
There were only three withdrawals: a single at 68 km and a double just outside the cut off time at the 98km mark. This meant that TAS had a 95% completion rate; one of the best in our race history.
Despite the large numbers, the event ran well from a TAS point of view and this was largely due to the six team captains: Pip Warrick, Hugh White, Kel Hardingham, Anna Barnier, Gary Baker, Will Caldwell and Andrew Murray. Will also jumped in a boat at the 68km mark to help one of his paddlers finish who had lost his partner through fatigue.
A big thankyou to Kel Hardingham for returning for his 28th year on the river and Grant Harris who completed 26 Hawkesbury Classics, both as landcrew and paddler. Also to Tim Scott for driving and Benjamin Hall and Duncan Ritchie for all their logistical support and cooking throughout the night.
A special thankyou to Max Tavener, Jack Abbott, Denise Coombes and Simon Ball who had the enormous job of packing, delivering, setting up and returning all the support gear as well as cooking at various major checkpoints.
This event has become part of the fabric of the school and has all the hallmarks of TAS: real challenge, service and a community effort. We also raised over $65000 for the major charity, The Arrow Foundation, supporting research into stem cell and bone marrow transplants.
This was particularly relevant to TAS and NEGS, who lost former students Arjun Daniel and Fiona Reynolds to cancer this year. Funds raised at the two schools had earlier enabled new boats, named after the two students, to be constructed and paddled in the event.
I would like to finish by thanking all the parents and friends who travelled long distances with little sleep to support their paddlers. I hope that it was a rewarding experience. There will be further details in coming editions as the results and the monies raised become known.
Peter Hall
Click here for an album of 2006 photographs from several contributors