Dimboola crew raises $1300

Dimboola Rowing Club members have raised $1300 for the Royal Flying Doctor Service after taking to two of Australia’s longest rivers for a 90-kilometre challenge at the weekend.

Eleven club members, including three adults and eight juniors, headed to Wentworth, New South Wales, for the annual Flying Doctor Rowathon.

This year’s event asked crews to row ‘90 kilometres for 90 years’ on the Murray and Darling rivers to celebrate the service’s 90th birthday.

Dimboola Rowing Club’s Jenni Brand said her crew was thrilled to complete the challenge.

“We definitely had the youngest participants,” she said. “Our crew of young kids completed half of the challenge and had an average age of 14.

“As a club we raised $1300 and overall, the rowathon raised $70,000.”

The money goes towards the Royal Flying Doctor Service’s mental health program, which enables patients to see professionals through bush nursing centres. Mental health professionals also visit remote towns and properties to provide further treatment, support and education about individual and community mental health issues.

Mrs Brand said club members were already looking forward to next year.

“After the enthusiasm we’ve had from the kids I have no doubt we will be doing it again next year,” she said.

Club members are also training for Dimboola’s annual rowing regatta, on November 10, and will also participate in the 2018 Bendigo Sprint Regatta on October 20 and send a masters crew to the Head of the Goulburn on October 27.