Dear Reading Uni Canoe Club (if I can get away with the old name)... You probably dont have a clue who I am - these days Im getting all gnarly and beardy* - but I was once a big part of this club and spent many happy days on the river (and in the pub) with awesome fellow boaters, just like you. Then one day I got all inspired and took off to New Zealand, complete with boat, paddles and optimism. The rest, as they say, is history. These days I am back in the UK, tootling about on flat water due to repetitive shoulder injuries and medical complications - hey, any time in a boat is good time in a boat, right? Back in NZ, my friend Bill Parks has been putting together an amazing, home-grown and self-funded paddling video to showcase the best of the NZ boating spirit, and has started a campaign to help pay for the rest of its production. He has hopes to submit to BANFF film festival next year and tell everyone more about the boating in NZ, how beautiful this country is, how it is under threat from hydro and why we all want to see it preserved - so paddle-folk (just like you) can enjoy it in the far and distant future. Or maybe even next year... Please take a moment to view it, contribute to it, or even just pass it on to others who might be interested. Help keep these rivers alive for the time you yourself also become inspired to make that trip down-under. Thank you. vimeo/102903269 * Apparently it does happen to girls too. In my case however, I was only joking.
Posted on: Fri, 15 Aug 2014 21:38:18 +0000