Ducks pull on eider to ward off cold

FIFTEEN very stoic ducks braved the pond on Sunday, breaking the ice outside to enter the alluring warm waters at the RSL pool.

According to the club’s first female swimmer and Life Member, Judy Walsh, there were “seven Duckettes” on the pond.

“Us gals went so close to outnumbering the boys. One day,” she quacked!

“Five of the flock decided to stay dry and take charge of the stopwatches for the morning. The ‘table boys’ put on a fairly challenging program by beginning with a 50-metre freestyle and then sneaking in a 100-metre freestyle,” Judy added.

“Despite Ross Tomlins slowly improving his fitness, the rest of the swimmers in his heat had to wait until he garnered enough strength to swim the final lap and join them at the finish!”

Ducks who flew over to Austinmer – by car – last weekend had an enjoyable time from all reports. The bi-annual excursion included a visit to the cider factory.

“We think the Ducks may have imbibed a bit more than they thought because no one could remember the name of the establishment. Perhaps their memory was ‘clouded’ by the apple juice they consumed over the remainder of the weekend,” Judy chuckled.

Robert Rich won the sought-after Bush to Beach relay with Peter Holmes from the host club. Richie reported the water was a very cool 16 degrees.

“Apparently, he also had difficulty touching the end of the pool as the tide kept washing him backwards!”

None of the other members made mention of swimming, so one can only presume that they were there to be Richie's cheer squad.

This weekend the Ducks head north for the annual sojourn to the Lightning Ridge pool. There will be swimming as usual on Sunday at the RSL pool for those not travelling.

Judy and the Ducks send get well wishes to Wilma Ferguson who is finding the winter a bit long. She and Reg are two of the longest serving members and their return us eagerly awaited.