CAN TOO VS OLYMPIANS RAISES MONEY FOR CANCER PREVENTION SWIM PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
ANNUAL SWIM CONTEST RAISES MONEY FOR CANCER PREVENTION
•E x-Australian Swim Team captain, Commonwealth Games gold medallist, member of the ‘Mean Machine’ and Can Too Coach, Matt Renshaw
The elite ‘Monthly Swimmers’ (pictured above top) put in an impressive performance to win the annual handicapped relay swim race at Monte College Pool, in November last year. The ‘Monthly Swimmers’, including Australian Olympian Carl Wilson, won by 20 seconds in the 14-person relay team against two Can Too teams. It was an electrifying atmosphere attended by approximately 100 people including 80 Can Too swimmers.
• Australian Pan-Pacific Games representative, Andrew de Vries
The David versus Goliath contest raised over $20,000 for Can Too. The Foundation’s philosophy is that everyone can achieve goals they once thought impossible, like racing against an Australian Olympian. A smiling Monthly Swimmers representative and Can Too Foundation Board Member Simon Buckingham said post-race that ‘winners are grinners’. “The event’s just great fun, it’s a great community atmosphere. It’s part of what Can Too is about for me, not just the fundraising but the friendships that are formed and people enjoying swimming.” The ‘Monthly Swimmers’ winning team features 80’s and 90’s swimming stars including: • Australian Olympian and cancer survivor, Carl Wilson
• Australian Institute of Sport swimmer, Michael Weeding •C urrent Australian age group champion over 50m freestyle, Donny Richmond •N ational and World championships Age group gold medallist and a qualifier for seven Australian Olympic trials (28 years), John Bates The elite’s team name comes from their monthly ritual to meet for a swim followed by burgers and beers, for 30 years. They initiated the annual race four years ago to help fund Can Too’s Ocean Swim training programs. The last event raised $31,000 which was invested into a program that taught 141 people how to ocean swim. By covering the costs of coaching those participants to ocean swim, the swimmers in turn raised over $100,000. Dr Phillippa Taberlay is one of the researchers who received funding from the race series to fight prostate cancer. This was inspired by President of the ‘Monthly Swimmers’ Donny Richmond’s father as he sadly lost his fight with prostate cancer in 2015.
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