BEC Dalzell is not your average physiotherapist.
She has big goals that include seeing her patients make the most of where they live.
In 2022, Bec approached businesses and organisations to seek expressions of interest in partnering to provide accessible water sports.
She was met with an overwhelmingly negative response, until she reached out to Jenny Higgins from the Flamin’ Dragons.
Jenny enthusiastically jumped onboard and in November that year, a successful accessible dragon boating partnership commenced.
Bec and her team of physiotherapists and exercise physiologists provide kayak seats for core stability and the physical assistance to get in and out of the boat, while Jenny heads a team of volunteers who give their time every month to take a variety of disabled paddlers out on the water.
Glen Clarke has a spinal cord injury and is a full time wheelchair user who lives in Kempsey.
He travels to Port Macquarie to participate in the sessions and told News Of The Area, “It’s great to be included in an activity that I didn’t think that I would be able to do.
“It’s an amazing feeling of freedom and normality.”
The Flamin’ Dragons is an inclusive boat club of males and females aged 12 to 84 – ranging from the social paddlers who enjoy cruising down the waterways, to those who are fiercely competitive.
They value the opportunity to share the activity with everyone else.
Jenny Higgins told NOTA, “I love doing this, it allows me to care for the community and help those who can’t compete to get out onto the water. It’s also good practice for us.”
The popularity of the activity has prompted Bec to recently purchase a stand up paddle board with a seat to allow more of her clients to experience the peacefulness of being on the water.
By Rachael THORPE
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