Due to the small number of boats available, the club is restarting paddling slowly, with renewing members rejoining first, then new members who have experience, followed by new beginners later (from July 2011). Come and try sessions are postponed.
The UQ Canoe Club is slowly re-opening for 2011. But this is occurring in stages.
The club has now opened for use initially by past members who have rejoined for 2011. The number of kayaks available to financial members will steadily increase over the next several weeks once insurance issues are finally resolved, repairs are performed, and orders for new kayaks are filled.
Rejoining the club
It is essential that you rejoin the club at UQ sport before you go for a paddle on the river. Membership forms are located at UQ sport reception. Please check that the form is the one for 2011, and fill in and sign both sides.
Full time UQ students $60
All others $100.
Membership expires on 31st March 2012.
Due to a number of issues last year, the system for borrowing the shed key has changed. You will now need your student card or staff card. If you don’t have one, then you will need to purchase a UQ sport card ($6). The card is used to access the shed key. As always, whoever takes out the key is held responsible for anyone they provide shed access to – including ensuring that those people sign out properly.
Accessing the river
Currently only the boats on the far right section of the boat rack are available for use. Please do not use the damaged boats. There are a limited number of new PFDs. Please be sure to sign out in the book when you go paddling on the river. The boats must be carried along the river side of the shed to the rowing club’s pontoon, as our pontoon is missing and it is likely to be some time before it is repaired. Please be patient and respect the rowing club needs as they have been kind enough to grant us access. Also be mindful that the wash from large boats may be sufficient to wash boats off the rowing club pontoon if they are left unattended.
New Members who have not previously been members: We plan to start progressively enrolling new members within the next few weeks. This will depend on the number of kayaks available, on usage by existing members, and on the new member themselves, as experienced kayakers will be favoured initially. New members who feel they are sufficiently experienced can email the enquiries email to organise an introductory paddle. You need to include your name and a very brief summary of your experience, including membership of other clubs, and kayak qualifications (if any).
There will be no regular supervised sessions in semester one, because paddle sessions are limited by the lack of boats. Therefore new experienced members should be confident of their abilities and be prepared to demonstrate this at the introductory session.
Due to the lack of supervised paddle sessions in Semester one (due to the lack of boats), you should wait until semester two to join.