DBNSW Board

The DBNSW Board is a team of sports leaders who work continuously to improve all aspects of the sport.

Chair - Gillian McCallum

Gillian has been paddling since 2017, representing the Southern Region in 3 consecutive National Championships and Auroras Senior B in 2019.

Gill has been the President of Merimbula Water Dragons for the past 4 years and has grown the club from a low of 14 members to a current high of 52 members. With a loss of key members due to ill health and Covid the club was left with no coaches and minimal Sweeps.

During COVID, Gillian became a Level 1 Coach and Level 1 Race Official and as the race season began again achieved Level 3 Sweep.  Gill has now attained the Level 2 Coach accreditation and has acted as Assistant Coach for Southern Region on 2 occasions.

As a Coach and President of a ‘Masters’ team Gill has focused on creating an inclusive, friendly club that allows everyone to participate no matter their skill level.  Regional clubs face difficulties when trying to race and rely heavily on WARATAH teams to participate. 

Gill is a member of the Regional Committee and works with all southern regional clubs with racing opportunities and the development of Coaches and sweeps.

After many years of managing a large Shared Services division for a large engineering company and a retail communications business, Gill has retired and spends most of her time either paddling or thinking about paddling.  Gills skills in developing, working with small teams, and mentoring staff (paddlers) have helped a small dragon boat club to flourish.

Director - Belinda Fowler

Belinda’s first introduction to Dragon Boating came in 2017 when she joined the Kempsey Macleay Dragon Boat Club – otherwise known as the River Rats!  She had watched the Rats for a couple of years often thinking it would be fun but couldn’t pluck up the courage to have a go until the family took on a French exchange student, so with the cover story of wanting to show the student the beautiful sites of the Macleay, she had her chance.  Ever since that first time on the water Belinda has been passionate about the sport and has sought to experience and learn as much as possible.

Belinda is an experienced events manager having coordinated many large-scale events and festivals in the Mid North Coast Region, which now includes regattas for her own Club, but that’s just for fun.  Belinda has a strong background in finance and compliance, working for many years as an Assistant Auditor in a regional practice specialising in working with Not-for-profits, Belinda is also qualified with the Australian Institute of Governance and holds a Certificate in Governance for-not-profit, and has served on several not-for-profit boards over the years.  For the past 18 years Belinda has been the Business Manager in a special assistance Independent School, the Macleay Vocational College.  Working closely with the Board and Principal, and with a staffing of 76, she works to ensure all areas of compliance are maintained at all levels; Local, State and Federal.  Belinda is also responsible for the overall financial management of the organisation, budgeting, strategic planning, facilities, HR, Grant application and management.  She is very passionate and 100% dedicated to her work and to her community.

Belinda has been co-coordinator of DBNSW Northern Region for the last two years and is really keen to give more to the sport and help in its development and growth, with a particular focus on widening its exposure and expanding the participant demographic.  As a person who is passionate, perhaps a little obsessive, about dragon boating, she is hopeful that the energy and passion she feels for the sport will be infectious and that her broad range of skills will be useful in helping Clubs and DBNSW grow the sport, empowering its profile and making it a sport of choice for everyone!

Director - Suzanne Brown

Director - Stephanie Dooley

Director - Martin Hastings

Director - Clarice Sam-Yue

Director - Mark Wilson