National Team

Auroras

The Auroras are Australia's National Dragon Boating Team.  Australia competes strongly on the international stage at World Championship events which take place biennially.  We also compete in the Asian Dragon Boat Championships every other year, as well as in the World Cup.  The Auroras are one of Australia's few sporting elite that get to compete in mixed crews right up to the very top level.  There are also national teams right through from juniors to Seniors.

The ‘Auroras’ is a unique label and joins other national team brands as a powerful sporting identity. In 2010 the Australian Dragon Boat Federation (AusDBF) unveiled the first national team to be open to paddlers from all states and territories, following a move away from the state-based selection system of previous international campaigns. To mark the occasion, AusDBF asked the Australian paddling community to submit their suggestion for a team name that would become our national crews identity. The paddlers selected for the 2010 Asian Championships cast a secret ballot to select the new name.

The Auroras was adopted for our national team, and has been embraced by the Australian Dragon Boat community. It is a unique label, and joins other national team brands like the Wallabies, Opals, Socceroos, and Matildas as a powerful sporting national identity.

 


IDBF World Dragon Boat Racing Championships

- Australian Flag Bearers and Australian Team Captains (first appointed 2008)

Year   Event No. Location  Flag Bearer Team Captain Vice captain 
2025  17th Brandenburg, Germany      
2023 16th Pattaya, Thailand Eliza Abel (VIC) & Lily Sampson (NSW) - Indigenous Flag Bearer Laura Hughes (WA) & Chris Mills (ACT)   
2021 15th Hong Kong, China      
2019 14th Pattaya, Thailand Blair Gamble (QLD) & Karen Brown (NSW) - Indigenous Flag Bearers Kylie Hawker (ACT) & Marcio Martins (NSW)  
2017   13th Divonne, France (Juniors + U24) and Kunming, China (Premiers + Seniors) Jennifer Reilly (VIC), Rachel Phillips (NSW) & Matilda Slater-Phillips (NSW) Eliza Campbell (VIC) & Bryan Buttery (SA)  Abbie Ryan (ACT) & Carrie Edgar (NSW) - Juniors & U24
2015 12th Welland, Canada Georgina Wakim (VIC) & Larissa Woosup (ACT) Paul Langley (QLD)  Melissa O'Brien (VIC) 
2013 11th Szeged, Hungary Joanne Petterson (NSW) Frank Calcara (NSW) Georgina Wakim (VIC)
2011 10th Tampa, USA Diana Dent (NSW) Michael Fogliani (ACT) Janelle Gamble (QLD) 
2009 9th Prague, Czech Republic Roula Bland (QLD) Darren Ma (NSW) Janelle Gamble & Cynthia Kuiper
2007 8th Sydney, Australia   Ian Peters (QLD    
2005 7th Berlin, Germany Chris Moran (NSW) & Amanda Wyllie (NSW)    
2004 6th Shanghai, China Linda Ng (NSW)    
2003 5th Poznan, Poland Melanie Cantwell (NSW)    
2001 4th Philadelphia, USA Barry Young (QLD)    
1999 3rd Nottingham, UK Kylie Bade-Peters (QLD)    

 


Asian Dragon Boat Championships

- Australian Flag Bearers and Team Captains

Year     Location  Flag Bearer Captain  Vice Captain
2022  Pattaya, Thailand         Daniel Foucar (WA) Andy Almenara (NSW) / Emily Mason (VIC)  
2018 Foshan City, China  Rowena Coghill (QLD) Amir Yadegari VIC) / Emily Mason (VIC)   
2016 Adelaide, Australia Allison Burgess (SA) Jarrod Whitwell (VIC) Inga Davis (NT)
2014 Macau, SAR China Karen Morris (VIC) Georgina Wakim (VIC) Marcio Martins (NSW)
2012 Busan, Korea Karen Hall (NSW) Claire Hosegood (NSW)     Bryan Buttery (SA) & Georgina Wakim (VIC)    
2010 Wujin, China Geoff Eldridge (NSW) Michael Fogliani (ACT) Richard Balkin (VIC) & Michelle Chim (NSW) 
2008 Penang, Malaysia     Steven Davidson (NSW)     George Louie (NSW)  Mathew Roberts (NSW) & Tina Bain (ACT)
2006 Macau, SAR China Jenny Petterson (NSW)    
2004 Mian Yang, China Janine Lette (QLD)    

 


World Cup - Australian Flag Bearers and Team Captains

Year Event No. Location Flag Bearer Captain Vice Captain
2021 4th Monaco      
2018 3rd Chongqing, China      
2016 2nd Wujin, China   Eliza Campbell  
2014 1st Fuzhou, China    Claire Hosegood (NSW)    Georgia Wakim (VIC)    Marcio Martins (NSW)