Coasting Rowing Western Australia Incorporated grateful for help of the Bunbury community

In June 2021, Bunbury based Coastal Rowing Western Australia Incorporated were informed of their requirement to find a new facility to store their equipment and boats worth over $100,000.

After less than a year in operation, the group, made up of flat water rowers 'enchanted' by the idea of being able to go out on open water, started reaching out to the community for help.

The help they then received from the City of Bunbury, Qube Holdings, the Shire of Dardanup and many more, was 'unexpected, but fabulous'.

Coasting Rowing Western Australia Incorporated committee member Nancy Churchill said the idea of the group being 'homeless' would have been 'awful'.

"We had no other options with the amount of time we were given to relocate, so we starting reaching out to the local community," Churchill said.

With 40 members on the books as the second only sporting group for coastal rowing in Australia, Ms Churchill said the group were 'blown away' by the support and assistance they received with their relocation.

The City of Bunbury, the South West Development Commission and the Shires of Harvey and Dardanup came together in a collective effort to find a new home for the group.

It was in July 2021 that the Shire of Dardanup approved a shipping container to be placed on the Eaton Foreshore, to officially mark the new home of Coastal Rowing Western Australia.

"The Shire of Dardanup did such a fabulous job. I think it was around 35 days from when we talked to them to when the shipping container was approved.

"They were very encouraging in a very short time frame to turn it around, but they did it," Churchill said.

Similar to flat water rowing, coastal rowing is a type of rowing usually performed at sea.

With a sliding seat, the boats are twice as big as flat water rowing boats in terms of volume and stability.

When it came time to locate storage, the group reached out to Qube Holdings, a national logistics company who have a branch in Bunbury.

"Finding a shipping container was very hard and they're quite expensive, so I emailed Qube to ask for a discount.

"After just one email, Qube found an empty shipping container at their branch in Fremantle, rehabbed it, painted it and will deliver it to the Eaton Foreshore on August 27. They've been so good to us. It's a great example of community spirit," Churchill said.

QUBE Bulk South West Operations Manager Daniel Mainstone said Qube always assisted in the communities which the company operated in.

"In this instance, it was great timing for Nancy and the Coastal Rowing team as we were able to locate an extra container in our business. The Qube Logistics team out of Fremantle were able to recondition and paint the container so it matched into the Eaton foreshore surroundings nicely.

"Qube has over 200 employees in Bunbury alone, so direct involvement with our community sporting groups is a rewarding outcome for us," Mr Mainstone said.

Coastal Rowing Western Australia Incoporated will share their new home at the Eaton Foreshore with the Eaton Bowling Club as the Shire of Dardanup moves to revitalise the area.

The Shire of Harvey have also allocated a second, shipping container to the group once their container in Eaton is filled.

Fellow committee member Lynette Sleight said the group was so grateful to the community for their help.

"We're so captivated by the sport, it's endlessly interesting. It's a low impact, water-based sport that is very therapeutic. We are able to see all the flora and fauna of the Collie River and Leschenault Estuary areas in a way that allows us to have a soft footprint too."

Coastal Rowing Western Australia Incorporated will hold a grand opening event, where they plan to both thank the local community as well as bless their fleet, on September 25.

To stay up to date on the event or to join the group, send an email to Coastalrowingwa@gmail.com.

"Although we do compete, we're not obsessed with competition, we're obsessed with having a good time. It truly is a sport for life," Churchill said.