Day Six - afternoon

We take a bus to the mustering site for the parade. We find ourselves amidst a plethora of pugnaciously pink paddlers.




In addition to the colors, there are the boob, cancer and dragon team names/puns. The race itself is called “Abreast in Australia.” Team names include “Boobialla,” “DAM Oarsome” (“DAM” is “Dragons Abreast Mackay”), “Flamin’ Breasts aDraggin” (oops, my mistake; it’s “Flamin’ Dragons Abreast”), “Nipples on Ripples,” “Tittytittybangbang,” “Breast Friends,” “Breast Strokes,” “Chemo Savvy,” “Machestic Dragons,” and my personal favorite “Missabittatitti.”

Miriam’s team is called “SOAR” for “Survivors on a River; “ it is less pink than most.


We husbandly support people think we will be the audience for the parade, but we are told that we are to march in the parade behind our team. We worry that there will be no audience for the parade.

We need not have worried. Caloundra is a small place, but there is a big, supportive turnout. Many women bring their daughters to watch. It reminds me of something that I tend to forget. We have lived with Miriam’s struggle with, and eventual victory over, cancer, for ten years. But others are just learning to deal with the “C” word. The women on these teams are brave survivors of a terrible disease, and seeing them march proudly and joyfully truly inspires hope and courage in others. It brings a lump to my throat.

The lump is dispelled by a little wisp of a man with a bristly moustache from a Canadian team. He sees the Team SOAR emblem on my shirt, rushes over, stops me and tells me that his wife’s team is the one that beat SOAR at Alcan. I smile, taken off guard. He passes one hand by another to show how his wife’s boat beat my wife’s boat, and says he will send us a movie. Still clueless, I thank him. He looks taken aback, and says it may be December before he can send it. Continuing cluelessly, I tell him "no problem" and thank him again. He looks puzzled and we walk on.

I ask Miriam about it later. She tells me the race had a disputed result. The incident reminds me of the other side of competition. I think the little fellow actually felt superior to me because his wife's team beat my wife's team in a disputed race.

We arrive at a small park. There will be opening ceremonies after we are fed. We are told our feeding will not occur for two hours, and that we should make ourselves comfy sitting on the grass. We catch a bus back to our hotel, have dinner with friends, and go to bed too early again.