Pacific Dragons Crew Photos - Pittwater OC6 Regatta / Palm Beach (Sun 09 Feb 2014)

Alison Linn, Kath Burrows, Annett Happich, Amanda Wyllie (S), Nicola Frowen, Cath Gale - Pacific Dragons Long Course Women - Pittwater OC6 Regatta / Palm Beach (Sun 09 Feb 2014)
Steve Jack, Ian Amos, Stu Young, Nuku Taia, Adrian Chua, Geoff Eldridge (S) - Pacific Dragons Long Course Open - Pittwater OC6 Regatta / Palm Beach (Sun 09 Feb 2014)
Tim Vose, Eelin Tan, Paul Wilkins, Kirsi Niinimaki, Stu Young (S), Liz Cowen - Pacific Dragons Short Course Mixed 1 - Pittwater OC6 Regatta / Palm Beach (Sun 09 Feb 2014)
Geoff Eldridge (S), Kaizer Austin, Jo Petterson, Paul Webster, Jane Hill, Kayleene Eagles - Pacific Dragons Short Course Mixed 2 - Pittwater OC6 Regatta / Palm Beach (Sun 09 Feb 2014)
First big race of the season for most of us. As usual I learnt a lot today about steering on a choppy ocean in strong winds. Tough way to learn, so thanks to the LC Mens Crew for putting up with me.

The SC Mixed - congrats to Kayleene and Jane for first time in such challenging conditions. To the crew, thank you for your belief in yourselves and me as your steerer.

Great work everyone today, you put a smile on an old paddlers face.

Haunted by Steven Siewert - Sydney Life 2004 (12 Oct 2004)

Sisters (Jenny and Joanne) - Sydney Life 2004 - Hyde Park/Sydney - 12 Oct 2004 (picasa)
Jenny and Joanne in pose in front of Steven Siewert's photo titled Haunted.

Jenny had just given her first ever talk at the Sydney Breast Cancer Foundation's Pink Ribbon Lunch where she was one of the Guest Speakers.

After the lunch we walked back through Hyde Park North to look at the Sydney Life 2004 photos.

I asked Jenny and Joanne to replicate the happy look in the background photo - not often you see Jenny and Jo not smiling in front of a camera :-) Felt a bit mean asking them to do this, but they put on a good show for the camera.

Sisters - Sydney Life 2004 (12 Oct 2004)

Sisters (Jenny and Joanne) - Sydney Life 2004 - Hyde Park/Sydney - 12 Oct 2004 (picasa)
Jenny and Joanne stop to look at Marco Bok's Photo.

Jenny had just given her first ever talk at the Sydney Breast Cancer Foundation's Pink Ribbon Lunch where she was one of the Guest Speakers.

Pink Ribbon Lunch - Sydney Breast Cancer Foundation (12 Oct 2004)

Jenny - Sydney Breast Cancer Foundation - Pink Ribbon Lunch - 12 Oct 2004 (picasa)
As was recently mentioned in our presentation at the Dragons Abreast Australia's Seminar in Brisbane, Jenny's first ever talk was at the Sydney Breast Cancer Foundation's Pink Ribbon Lunch on the 12 Oct 2004. It was just a few days before we all flew out to Shanghai for the 2004 World Dragon Boat Championships. Jenny and Jo were going as competitors, and myself as a supporter and photographer (my paddling career was yet to be launched, though I knew at that stage I wanted to get more involved).

I remember Jenny writing the speech late one night well in advance of the Lunch. I can remember hearing Jenny's fingers tapping away on the keyboard as I nodded off to sleep. The words came fast and naturally, and the speech was ready with a few minor modifications. It would become the basis for all the talks that followed. Jenny would often be asked to give talks and she also became a Speaker for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

The Pink Ribbon Lunch was hosted by Angela Bishop and the Governor of NSW, Marie Bashir, was the special guest.

Jenny did a great job and touched all with her talk. Jenny and Joanne were both presented with a beautiful bunch of flowers. I videoed Jenny's talk. Must dig it out and have a look at it at some stage.

Here are some photos I recently found from the day.

After the Lunch, we walked back through Hyde Park North to view the photos in the Sydney Life 2004 Exhibition. I will put some of my photos up in the next couple of posts, since it is now Sydney Life time of the year.

Joanne, Marie Bashir and Jenny - Sydney Breast Cancer Foundation - Pink Ribbon Lunch - 12 Oct 2004 (picasa)
Geoff, Angela and Jenny - Sydney Breast Cancer Foundation - Pink Ribbon Lunch - 12 Oct 2004 (picasa)
Joanne and Jenny - Martin Place/Sydney - 12 Oct 2004 (picasa)

Twins - Fraser Island (April 2002)

Twins (Joanne and Jenny) - Fraser Island (April 2002)

Favourite Photos: - Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre/Italy - Sun Bathing

Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre/Italy - 12 Aug 2005 - (picasa)
Really love the colour, flow and bordering of this scene.

The Cinque Terre was Jenny's selected location for our Europe 2005 Journey after the IDBF World Dragon Championships in Berlin. She had heard about it from one of the members of her Cancer Support Group who had recently been there. We were staying in Levento, a headland to the west of the Cinque Terre. Decided the best way to do the 20km Walk from Riomaggiore to Monterosso al Mare was to catch a ferry from Levanto to the far town of Riomaggiore. Have many nice photos from this walk which took us all day - it was quite a challenge due to the hot weather. Definitely one of the highlights from that trip in 2005. Jenny, Joanne and David all went for a swim at various locations along the way.

The above photo was one of the first of my digital photos that I had printed professional (at about A3 size).

Jenny and Joanne - Blue - Cinque Terre - 12 Aug 2005 - (picasa)

Jenny and Joanne's Birthday - This Time Last Year

This time last year, we celebrated Jenny and Joanne's Birthday in Cairns.

Jenny had won a trip to Cairns at the 2008 Sutherland Shire Relay for Life and this was the last chance to take it. As usual it was left to the last week the tickets could be used as we had been busy with either paddling committments or Medical and Hospital appointments for Jenny. The trip was for two people and I said to Jenny, early on, that she should take Joanne with her, and that I would come up separately a couple of days later.

On the 11 March 2009, Jenny was diagnosed of multiple tumors in her in Liver and she had already started treatment, which included chemotherapy and another drug called Avastin which worked on the blood system. These treatments were to be every second week. So everything worked out paddling and treatment wise, and we were all able to get to Cairns. I dropped them to the Airport on the Sunday, and I arrived on Tuesday, their Birthday.

We had a great time and Jenny wrote a postcard with a thank you to the lady from RAMS who made the trip possible. The trip will always be special time for Jo and I, and we are particularly grateful to those people who made this special trip possible for us.

Last night, Joanne showed me a small Photo Album of that day in Cairns, their last Birthday together. I have just put them in my Picasaweb Album - here.

Jenny, Geoff and Joanne - Birthday Cake Photo - Tue 24 Mar 2009 (picasa)

Joanne and Jenny - Cairns - Tue 24 Mar 2009 (picasa)

Collage of Jenny and Joanne's Birthday - Cairns - Tue 24 Mar 2009 (picasa)