Sport
29 January, 2025
North West Canoe Club eyeing new members at Sign On Expo
There will be more than 80 stallholders at Buchanan Park this Saturday.
A record number of stalls will be at the Mount Isa Mines Entertainment Centre on Saturday for the annual Sign On Expo, hosted by Mount Isa City Council.
There will be 84 stalls in total at Buchanan Park and among them will be the North West Canoe Club in what is a milestone year for the not-for-profit group.
This year marks 50 years since the inaugural Gregory River Canoe
Marathon, which is organised by the Mount Isa-based club.
Flooding has forced the Gregory event to be cancelled for the past two years but North West Canoe Club secretary Alison Whitehead said she was confident it would go ahead in 2025.
“I think it’ll be quite a good weekend,” she said of the traditional long-weekend event, which will be held on May 4 this year.
“We’ve got a few older paddlers for the event. I’m really excited about it, actually.
“I’ve been delving into the history of it all and the old names and I’m learning heaps about it.”
Registrations are now open for this year’s Gregory paddle, but the North West Canoe Club is on the hunt for more members.
Ms Whitehead said the club held regular paddles on Tuesday evenings and Sunday afternoons at Mount Isa’s Lake Moondarra.
“We’re probably the same as every club (in Mount Isa). We’ve got about five or six people that do the majority of the work, but we are always looking for new members to stand up and be involved,” she said.
“We’re probably one of the cheapest clubs around to join because it costs you about $200 a year and you can go and paddle fully-supplied boats and go out whenever it suits you.
“I think it’s a great club to be a part of and getting out on the water with stand-up paddle boards or sit-on-top canoes, kayaks or dragon boats ... there’s something for everyone, basically.
“With this heat that seems to be sticking around, it’s a great time to be out on the water.”
The North West Canoe Club will be one of 84 stalls at the Sign On Expo at Buchanan Park this Saturday.
Stall holders are not just sports clubs and groups, but also include service organisations, health and education providers and fitness centres. The Expo will run from 9am until noon.