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THE BYRON SHIRE Volume 24 #47 Tuesday, May 4, 2010 Mullumbimby 02 6684 1777 Byron Bay 02 6685 5222 Fax 02 6684 1719 editor@echo.net.au adcopy@echo.net.au www.echo.net.au 21,000 copies every week
Q AFFORDABLE MIDDLE CLASS MORALITY
Record numbers for Big Swim
The Elite Superfish look to Main Beach while waiting for the start of the Swim Classic’s ultimate event. The swim overall drew a record number of competitors. See more photos at the Tree Faerie’s Fotos Facebook. Story & photo Eve Jeffery
Another fantastic Ocean Swim Classic was fought and won on the weekend as over 2,000 swimmers took to the waters of Byron Bay. Starting over an hour after the first swimmers entered the water at Watego’s, the elite Superfish made their big splash a trifling 19 minutes and 38 seconds before ultimate winner Ky Hurst crossed the finish line at Main Beach. The first female and fourth overall Melissa Gorman ran up the beach a mere seven seconds after Ky to claim her fifth Classic title, which is a record. In total the 2.2 kilometre swim was
completed by 1,954 swimmers and the Mini Swim saw 357 leave the sands of Clarkes Beach. Race conditions were as close to perfect as you can get. There was a bit of sea for racers to get over at the start but the swell on the incoming tide meant that there was a helping push from behind, probably accounting for the great swim times. The Byron Bay SLSC pulled a few out of the drink at The Pass, which is usual for the event, but there were no reports of stingrays, stingers or sharks and everybody was glad to be in the water and part of the event. With over almost 200 participants up on last year, record numbers
have proven again that this is one of the most popular ocean swims on the calendar. Organiser Syl Reid was one happy man after the event. ‘It’s gratifying to see more people enter the swim every year,’ he said. ‘Having the Mini Swim for the “nervous and the novice� has meant that a lot of people can come along and have a go in the race without the pressure of a big swim. What is really amazing is that the more people we have in the swim, the better the run seems to be. You wouldn’t think it would work that way but it does.’ The oldest competitor Billy Ringland, whose age remains a secret
(he swam in the over 80 division), made the 2.2km in 55:43 and one of the youngest swimmers, Elijah Winnington, was first home in the nine years division and seventh overall for the Mini Swim, a great effort for a junior athlete. The Classic has again been a winner for community groups with the Winter Whales coffers ready to flow. ‘We expect that we have raised the most money yet,’ said Syl. ‘We anticipate that we will have well over $60,000 to give to charity.’ For more race results visit www. multisportaustralia.com.au and follow the links to the Byron Bay Ocean Swim.
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Bruns ducks and paddlers raise funds Interest is gathering for the inaugural Mullum to Bruns Paddle fundraiser on Sunday May 30. It’s your choice whether you paddle down the Beautiful Brunswick in a leisurely fashion or as a challenge so long as you’re travelling in a non-motorised craft. It’s a great fundraising effort for Brunswick’s Marine Rescue, Surf Club and Visitor Centre. So you may also like to support the great raffle or the Lucky Duck Race and try to win some graet prizes. First prize in the raffle is an Ocean Kayak, valued at $1200. Second prize is a graphite Stand Up Paddle from Oz Sup paddle. Blue Sky Outdoor Adventures are donating a top of the range set of kayak trolley wheels, a must for any paddler. Tickets are three for $5 or $2 each and the raffle is drawn on May 30 at 2.30pm at The Terrace Soundshell – you don’t have to be there to win. The Lucky Duck Race, sponsored by the Lucky Duck Gift Shop in Bruns, kicks off at 2pm. Three hundred yellow ducks will be tossed off the pedestrian bridge and be cheered on for their swim up Simpsons Creek to the road bridge – with the help of the outgoing tide. Rob Goodacre, who retired after many years of dedicated community service with the Rescue Squad, is calling the race from the riverbank. There are prizes for the first three ducks over the finishing line. Lucky Duck entries are $5 each. First prize is a family holiday for two nights at Paradise Waterfront Apartments, donated by Brunswick Seaside Holidays. Byron Eco-Charters have donated a family whale watching tour valued at $300. Third prize is a month of fitness with Brunz Bootcamp. Tickets for the raffle and ducks are available now from Ferry Reserve Holiday Park, the Brunswick Surf Club or the Brunswick Visitor Centre. Visit www.brunswickheads. org.au/muullum2brunspaddle for all the details.
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