Above: Amy O’Brien (left) and Laura Kirby of Mornington took a military approach to the inaugural Lilo Derby held at Warburton on Sunday. By Kath Gannaway
PLANS are already under way for the second Yarra River Lilo Derby after Sunday brought about a fantastic start to the event, according to organiser Chris Ord from Crankyfish Events.
A total of 40 would-be lilo champions tackled the river at Warburton from the caravan park down to the swing bridge and most have vowed to return next year.
“We didn’t quite get the numbers we expected because of the high temperatures, but it has definitely set a good foundation for next year’s event,” Mr Ord said. “Everyone got into the spirit of the derby and we had a lot of support from local people and businesses.
“There were a couple of rapids which provided a few highlights along the way and most people stayed on for the presentations and a great night at the Wild Thyme Cafe.”
The inaugural derby was a fundraiser to assist with costs for Bhutanese refugee Narayan Khanal’s final year at university, and Mr Ord said next year’s event would assist in the same way at a local level.
Mr Ord thanked the many local businesses that backed the event and said with continuing support of the local community the event will be bigger and better next year.
“Hopefully we will have hundreds of lilos going down the same course at this time next year,” he said.
