It’s the pure joy on people’s faces that motivates Julie Keillor to keep providing paddling opportunities for all abilities.
Keillor was recently crowned the Paddle Australia and Australian Institute of Sport Volunteer of the Year in recognition of the amazing success of her Can Paddle programme in Shepparton.
Situated in northern Victoria, Australia, Shepparton Sailability is a community service for disabled and disadvantaged people to give them the chance to enjoy sailing.
Inspired by this model, Keillor created an all-abilities paddling group to help people experience the freedom of being able to paddle on their own.
“I set to work as soon as summer hit, organising two training sessions a week,” Keillor told Paddle Australia.
“Monday is our ‘BIBS’ session, which stands for ‘Bums in Boats’, and ‘we F.A.R.T. on Fridays’ – which stands for Friday Afternoon Recreation Time – a deliberate play on worlds to make it fun.”
The paddling group has grown with between 50 and 80 people now coming on a weekly basis to paddle on Lake Victoria Shepparton.
“Many of the paddlers that have come are from different NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) groups in the area that we reached out to – the neurodivergent group as well as social groups,” said Keillor.
“We capture people that walk around the lake and exercise as well.
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“Let’s face it, if you come anywhere near our beach and look the slightest bit interested in our activities one of us is trying to get your bum in a boat.
“We cover recovering drug addicts, mental health issues, abuse victims, anxiety disorders and all the usual recognised disability disorders – including PTSD, down syndrome, fragile x syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy, stroke recovery – all of which have had success with our group.
“We have over 50 all ability persons who come down to our sessions.”
Keillor, who is a disability support worker and instructor at the Shepparton Canoe Club, underlined her passion to continue to grow the paddling group.
“The overwhelming experience that we have from our training sessions is joy,” said Keillor.
“Everyone loves to celebrate the success of being able to paddle.
“We are most fortunate to have a beach launching area on our safe little lake here in Shepparton but we are lobbying for an all-abilities access ramp/roller.
“It is a constant challenge to match persons with boats and come up with solutions for how they can grip a paddle, or hear my directions.
“However, that is where the joy comes from, seeing the beaming smiles of their success.
“Being the Paddle Australia and AIS Volunteer of the Year has given me opportunities to advocate and promote our ‘Can Paddle’ group within the wider community and I am very grateful for that.
“The support from the paddling community has been simply amazing.”
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