|
Before the blurb, the Murray River Expedition 2009 begins on October 3rd 2009 and we still need a couple of things:
- Hi Def video camera
- 2 x sound mics
- Tape Stock ~ 50 x MiniDV tapes
IF ANYONE CAN HELP WITH THIS WE HAVE AN INCREDIBLE DOCUMENTARY READY TO BE MADE. WE'LL GO OUT AND BUY THE KIT IF WE HAVE TO, BUT IF IT'S PROVIDED FOR US WE CAN SPEND MORE TIME AND ENERGY DOING THE GOOD THINGS ON THE RIVER.
WE CAN MAKE YOUR SUPPORT WORTHWHILE - SEE OUR PARTNERS PAGE
Forget paddling thousands of miles, the hard part of this project is the preparation! Right now we could wander off to the source of a river, drop a boat in and paddle. Simple. But would you hear about it? Would we encourage anyone to take up paddling? Would we be ready to take on the local challenges offered up by the Murray, or UK to France, or the Amazon? No.
Everyone involved in the Paddle is prepared to give up a hefty chunk of their time to make sure the project works. The bigger it gets, the more experienced everyone involved becomes, the more people benefit, the happier our sponsors are, the safer the journeys will be. This is happening. Below is a brief rundown of the type of things we need assistance with, if you know someone who could help we'll do our utmost to make it worth their while (see the partners page). Before we get to our shopping list, we want you to know that although The Great Big Paddle is a not-for-profit initiative we run it just as we would a business. We're a professional, energetic outfit with experience of organising these projects. We place an emphasis on thorough planning, sourcing commercial sponsors without expecting anything for free, and maximising media coverage of our journeys because the more people who hear about what we're up to, the closer we get to achieving our aims. If you're interested in helping logistics for The Great Big Paddle please do get in touch, we'd love to hear from you.
It is imperative to a project of this proposed magnitude that the journeys are made visually available during and after the adventure(s). Large swathes of these journeys may be paddled unsupported, but creating a vivid documentary will be a must with this project. Professional editing and filming help has already been offered, but more assistance is always welcome and equipment always comes at a price.
Each journey we plan to take during The Great Big Paddle is born from a love of travel. Our means of transport may be long-used, or extraordinary to some, but we're certain that we will pass through beautiful lands and be faced with obstacles and challenges which will be overcome with common sense and thorough commitment. Journeys ranging across countries, for hundreds and thousands of miles sometimes, are never short of drama. It would be a shame not to film them! Below are some early (these may change) visions of the main journeys, and their potential focus for a documentary. The Murray-Darling river system in Australia is in trouble. Water, where it still exists, is lacking flow. It's covered in blue-green algae. Fish are dying. Cattle can't drink without getting sick. Farmers are losing their means of irrigation. Water is a big issue in Australia and we want to do what we can to raise awareness of what's going on, and what can be done to ease the drought. There's a good chance our endurance stand-up paddle (SUP) journey might encroach upon a world-record distance. Paddling this far shouldn't be taken lightly, not only is the physical feat worth noting, but the journey itself has the potential to inspire. SUP is a sport in renaissance and we've been caught up in the thrill of it. We'd like to mix the pleasures of riding a SUP with the endeavour of pushing the boundaries of SUP travel. The Amazon is the world's second longest river, but in sheer volume there are none to rival it. There are few areas of our planet that are the focus of such environmental concern, yet still drum up visions of mysticism and adventure. Dangers are plentiful, from the waters themselves to the wildlife that rely on the river for their own survival, yet passing through the centre of the global warming argument and areas of such beauty cannot fail to provide a poigniant, thoughtful and educational film. |
