Organisers of the iconic Forest Lake dragon boat races, which were cancelled last year due to an algae infestation, are determined to return bigger and better this year.
The races are the highlight of the annual Hakka Multicultural Dragon Boat Festival, which has attracted thousands of people to the lake every year since 2010.
Last year, around 10,000 people were expected to join in on the fun, watching nail-biting dragon boat races, learning of the area’s array of cultures, watching performances and trying new foods.
But a blue-green algae infested the lake in June and the event was cancelled over health concerns, particularly for the dragon boat racers and nearby residents who complained of a nasty stench.
Some residents believed the infestation was killing local wildlife.
Brisbane City Council liaised with hydrologists and the state government to try and resolve the issue.
Hakka festival chief organiser Florence Day said everyone was disappointed the races were cancelled.
“If something happened again this year, people wouldn’t come and join us anymore,” she said.
“We were very worried.”
While the lake has not yet been cleared by the council for racing, Ms Day said she was hopeful the event would return this year.
“Hopefully they will let… rowers actually go into the water and compete,” she said.
“The trainer told me that they’ve been to everywhere, even in the worst conditions, and they’re still going and have had no trouble at all.
“When they get out, they clean themselves up and there shouldn’t be any problems, but the council must be very careful.”
This year’s festival is expected to return the event to its former glory.
Scheduled for a 9am start on 1 June, the day will feature dozens of cultures represented through performance, food and dragon boat races.
“The area is quite nice and beautiful and it has a stage, so that’s why people like to come,” Ms Day said.
“We have been running for 14 years and hopefully we carry on for many years to come.”
She said it was important to showcase multiculturalism and identity, particularly in a diverse area like Forest Lake.
“That is what Australia promotes.”
The festival is run by the Hakka Association of Queensland, a group that represents and connects the Hakka community (an ethnic group from China) living in the state.
Dragon boat racing dates back more than 2000 years ago in China.
Ms Day previously explained dragon boat festivals like this celebrate the life of Qu Yuan, a Chinese warrior and poet who committed suicide in the Mi-Lo river in 278 BC as a protest against political corruption of the day.
“To commemorate this sacrifice, the people, especially Hakkanese people, organise a Dragon Boat Festival in his memory,“ she told this publication in 2023.
In 2011, the Forest Lake Hakka festival was named community event of the year at the Australia Day Awards.
