No Access to the River from the Club Shed (Jun-Aug 2023)

Work is commencing on the new rowing club pontoon from that start of June. The current pontoon is in bad need of repair and this is part of a much broader improvement plan. It is envisaged that this will take up to three months to complete the new pontoon (?mid / end of Aug). We are also hoping that after this work may commence on our club’s pontoon and get it back into action.

We will look to organise other paddling events over this period, so keep an eye out. Also come along to the UQ Pool on Monday nights to keep up some paddle skills (eg polo).

No Access to UQ Pontoons

The club pontoon has been out of action since the floods and we have been using the adjacent Rowing Club pontoon. UQ Sport has now informed us that the rowing club pontoon is currently unavailable for use as it has developed a structural issue.

This means there is currently no access to the river from the shed, and this affects all clubs that use them. We are hoping to hear more from UQ Sport soon as to how long we will not have direct river access and what alternatives may become available.

Reduced Membership Price for the Rest of 2022

Due to the impact of Covid and the Floods, members have delayed renewing or joining. The committee has decided to reduce the (re)joining cost for 2022 by charging only the Semester price for a memberships from mid-May 2022. This is better value than the Semester membership, so please join as an ordinary member.

For the rest of 2022, the cost of ordinary membership is now
$60 for UQ Students and $75 for everyone else (that’s 30-40% off).

Please join/renew here !

Returning to Normal (Covid Plan Suspended)

Following widespread community vaccinations, the government and University have eased Covid requirements. The club committee has now responded by suspending the club covid plan (v5), and is now adhering to general University of Queensland and government health advice. If additional controls are needed for events, this is addressed via associated risk assessments.

Members should not participate in club activities if they are Covid positive or have covid-like symptoms. They are encouraged to follow University advice regarding mask wearing, social distancing, and vaccinations.

Consequently the club no longer requires members to become “Solo Paddlers, submit Solo Paddling declarations, or adhere to online shed booking protocols.

Returning to Paddling

Finally we are able to return to paddling!

It’s been a tough year with Covid peaking in Queensland, followed by significant floods. The shed flooded and some boats were lost, although most were saved. The insurers and UQ Sport took over the shed while assessments were made, cleaning was completed, and UQ’s Properties and Facilities division worked to repair the building. This has taken some time.

We have only recently regained access again to the shed. Thanks very much to the members who helped do a final cleanup of boats and preparation for a return to paddling. Unfortunately we were immediately faced with more heavy rain and minor flooding. This didn’t affect us directly, but it did delay reopening as it made the river unsafe to use.

The Club pontoon is out of action, but we are able to paddle on the river by using the rowing club pontoon (please be considerate of other users as we are guests!).

The UQ pool is still out of action, so there is no canoe polo at this stage.

Swim tests (400m and treading water) is can be completed at another swim centre. A formal letter from the public swimming pool is needed for UQ Sport to accept this.

It will take as a little longer to re-organise club trips as these take time to plan and have approved.

Membership will email you shed access details if you have joined/renewed for 2022.