This week's Sepia Saturday image shows a team of men rowing on the Thames with an Olympic flag. I was just reading the other day about the precursor to the first modern Olympics, that were held in 1850 in Much Wenlock, a black and white village in Shropshire that we've passed through several times without knowing anything about this aspect of its history. Next time we are nearby we'll definitely take a closer look!
I have one sepia boating photograph that I have posted on my blog previously, which you can see here, but today I'm posting some more recent photographs. They were taken in August 2011 and show my brother and one of his boys on a dragon boat, together with a team of pink ladies from the Dragons Abreast Gold Coast dragon boating club, rowing out into the middle of Currumbin Creek to scatter pink camelias in the water, in memory of my brother's late wife, Penny, who had passed away after a four year battle with breast cancer. Penny would have turned 60 today (7 April) , but sadly was only 55 when she died.
I like to think that somehow the bird flying above the boat as I took this photograph was an embodiment of Penny's strong and courageous spirit. Tasmanian born, she moved to Canberra and then up to the much warmer climate of Queensland, where she and my brother had two sons and several dogs, ran a plant nursery and operated a furniture removals business. Thoughtful and caring, Penny got on well with everyone she met. Life was busy but Penny was always cheerful and positive. We lived in different States so we didn't get to catch up in person very often, but I always enjoyed it when we did.
Dragon boating is recognised as very good exercise for strenthening muscles after a mastectomy, which is one reason why many breast cancer survivors join similar clubs. You can read more about the Dragons Abreast club and in partcular about Penny here on the club web site:
http://www.dragonsabreastgoldcoast.com.au/angels-abreast_3/ My brother very generously donated a new dragon boat to the club in memory of his late wife. 
Vale Penny. Forever Young.
9 comments:
Not only is this a fine match to the prompt, but it's a lovely tribute to an obviously well-loved and lovely person.
I can't improve on Nightingale's comment. A lovely tribute and appropriate photos. I have seen the dragon boats but didn't know about the breast cancer link. How wonderful of your brother to donate a boat.
An interesting and illuminating post and a wonderful memorial to Penny.
The above comments mirror my feelings too. Thanks for sharing.
I agree that the bird flying over the boat for your picture was a message from Penny's spirit (to you, since you have the photo). How lovely to see pink ladies in a dragon boat. I know pink ladies here in the US, and have a friend who's fighting breast cancer as well as several survivors, and have lost a few friends as well...but dragon boats? Not part of my life, but they sure are great to see! Must be a Chinese influence, according to Wikepedia.
What a lovely tribute to Penny!
Sad, to young to die, a lovely tribute.
It's a very special Sepia Saturday theme that can inspire such a fine tribute.
A touching well written tribute to our brave strong sister- in- law Thanx Jo
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