Paul Baker (far left) and James Jarvis (2nd from left), at the Presidential Cup awards ceremony in 1988.

      Some may have thought that the Gods were angry as the rain came lashing down, barbs of lightning flickered between cloud and earth, and thunder echoed menacingly all around. Only crazy people would have been out rowing on the river at such a time, but that's exactly where we were, about to race the Fremantle Dragon Boat team for the right to advance to the final of the men's International Division.

      Now the starter had us at the line and every rower on both teams was poised in the ready position. The race was seconds away from starting. As I held the drumstick high waiting for the starter's pistol, I saw a building by the river side struck by lightning. I wondered what sort of a lightning rod my drumstick would make. But these reflections were only momentary as the crack of the starter's pistol sent us on our way at a furious pace.

      For the next 1 minute and 55 seconds, our team of 22 rowers, in perfect unison with the drum, pounded their way down the 400 metre course. Nine weeks of intensive training hung in the balance, with the losing team puting away their paddles for another year. Still the rain poured down as I saw the opposition not a hair's breadth behind us at the half-way point. They say that it should rain on Dragon Boat Festival Day because the river dragon needs fresh water in which to swim. Perhaps it was better training, superior strength, or a flick of the river dragon's tail that did it, but suddenly, as we neared the flags which marked the finish, our boat surged ahead and for the first time in serious international competition, a team from the Mandarin Training Centre had made it through to the final.

      Well, we didn't win the final, but it took one of the best teams in international dragon boat racing to beat us. There was no sense of disappointment in the team as we were all extremely elated with our performance. And of course, there's always next year.

						James Jarvis
						Mandarin Training Centre
						Dragon Boat Captain

The inscription, which was written by Director Lo, says: "Às«ÂµL¼Ä," or "The Dragon Has No Enemies."

James will always be remembered by many at the MTC for his never tiring enthusiasm as Captain of the Dragon Boat team for many years; as the extremely entertaining host of the New Year's Party; for his inspirational speeches, which won many prizes; and as an outstanding student.

A memorial service was held for James in Queensland, Australia, on June 13, 1997.

On Saturday morning, November 22, 1997, several teachers, staff, and dragon boat team members (old and new) gathered to thank Mrs. Alice Jarvis for presenting a beautiful trophy display cabinet to the MTC in loving memory of her late husband, James Jarvis. James was the captain for many years and given much of the credit for making the dragon boat team such an important part of the MTC. James also helped to ensure that an international division be included in the Annual President's Cup Tournament held in Taipei and an invitation for the MTC to enter the Taipei County races held in Pitan.

The trophy cabinet was designed and built by the UB Furniture Company to display several trophies and plaques commemorating each year's race results. In addition, there are shelves for photographs and article displays, as well as cabinets for other memorabilia, such as team members' name lists, publications, and photo-albums. The cabinet can also be used for a source of dragon boating material. Since no official records have been kept on past team performances, the cabinet will serve as a reminder that the MTC has sponsored men's and women's teams for many years.