BMG 2020 Grammarian Issue 1

10 2019 MASSIVE MURRAY PADDLE The Massive Murray Paddle is an amazing 404 km, 5-day relay adventure race down the Murray River. The event starts at Yarrawonga and finishes at Swan Hill, passing through picturesque towns such as Cobram, Tocumwal, Echuca, Cohuna and Murrabit. Bacchus Marsh Grammar has entered the paddle for the past four years with a high degree of success, including winning, on two occasions, the relay division for schools. The paddle attracts individuals and teams from across the globe, ranging from American paddle boarders and schools from the Blue Mountains. This provides opportunities for students to create bonds with other schools, both on land and on water. A big part of the paddle is to engage with and encourage other competitors as we enjoy the river together. This combination of both fun and respect really brings all the competitors together and creates a real sense of community. This connection, to both river and people, helps the students build a sense of purpose that we see many of our participating students bring back with them to school and their academic endeavours. To further emphasise the spirit of community that the Massive Murray Paddle represents, a condition of entry is that participants raise funds to assist charities across the world. The BMG team, through school based fundraising activities, has raised over $4000 in the past four years to support the rebuilding of schools in Nepal after the 2015 earthquakes. This adventure enables the students to develop their organisational and leadership skills. Each day, students wake bright and early to be on the water paddling at 7.00am. Once the first crew is safely on the water, the rest of the team pack up camp and head off to the first changeover checkpoint. The length of each paddling day varies, the longest being close to 100km and shortest day 62km. Each evening, the students plan the following day together. They decide between themselves the logistics of the day, including who is paddling, when and which leg of the relay. The importance of teamwork and flexibility quickly becomes apparent to them, in addition to having the courage to put your hand up and volunteer