Gordon Reid (Robertson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to acknowledge Portia Roberts, a young constituent in my electorate who has recently competed at the 16th International Dragon Boat Federation's World Dragon Boat Racing Championships in Pattaya, Thailand. At age 11, Portia would often watch her parents and grandparents, who were dedicated dragon boat racers, train from the shoreline in Saratoga on the New South Wales Central Coast. Portia soon developed her own passion for dragon boat racing and, when she reached the age of 12, joined the Deepwater Dragon Boat Club in Saratoga, becoming its first junior paddler.

As the years went on, Portia's training continued. Portia's potential was realised by her coach, Kathy Cummings. Kathy contacted the coach of the Sydney Zodiacs, Australia's national and state champions, who invited Portia to make the move to join the Sydney Zodiacs in 2022. Portia says that to dragon boat is one of the best decisions she's ever made, and she maintains a rigorous training schedule to ensure she is in the best shape to compete.

Australia's national dragon boat team, the Auroras, proudly represented Australia across all divisions at the 16th IDBF's World Dragon Boat Racing Championship in Thailand in August of this year. Portia raced in the under-18s division and displayed tremendous effort in her category. I wish to congratulate Portia on all of her sporting success and for her achievements at the recent world championships. Keep going, Portia!