Every year, Raft for a Laugh is organized in support of the Matilda Child Development Centre. Teams race their rafts around a 150 meter water course. Teams are usually encouraged to build their own rafts, but in the past years many have experienced their masterpieces sink, hence the rafts were provided instead this year. As Raft for a Laugh is meant to be a fun and exciting event for both children and adults, the teams were recommended to be creative and participate in fancy dress.

The Matilda Child Development Centre is a non-profit charity, providing early intervention services for children, from multinational English speaking families, with development delays. Children from birth to the age of six are given expert help from specialists ranging from physiotherapists to occupational therapists. All families benefit from individual education programs, play stimulation, family support and counseling.

This year's Raft for a Laugh took place on Sunday, April 17 at Stanley Main Beach. Links Relocations invited its sponsored Dragon Boat team, Blazing Paddles, which is made out of members of the American Women's Association, to participate. Six ladies took part in the race and decided to call themselves Blazing Boas when they turned up adorned with blazing red boas and fancy feather masks.  It was a cold and windy day, and the water was pretty rough but the Blazing Boas and their families who went to cheer them on had a really good time.

Blazing Boas did not make it to the finals but that did not stop them from raising $11,600 for the cause.

For more information on Matilda Child Development Centre, please go to their website.