Gosford Diggers Swimming Club

Gosford Derby Day!

Our stablemates, the Gosford Seagulls, joined us for a swim this sunny Sunday morning. The Seagulls certainly enjoyed how we Diggers race: handicapped starts so the photo-finish gives everyone a fair-go at winning!

The visitors were certainly bold and boisterous like seagulls: diving and swimming well enough to win the 10-person relay! However it was our Digger, Mike Stringfellow, who took out Swimmer of the Derby, winning the 100m and 50m events (but no glass trophy sorry mate!).

Rest assured, after the racing was done we all felt like winners, thanks to a BBQ brunch in the sunshine. Thanks to one and all involved from both Gosford swim clubs for a great morning.

Diggers Johnny McQueen, Stingray, Sherro & Rob swam for the Gosford Seagulls - Swimming Club with the determination of Olympians!

Mad Diggers Sunday swimming despite a southerly & 14 degrees. Double points for turning up! Also 8 pies each...
Thanks to Al Hurley for the pic 👍

The Gosford Diggers Swimming Club held their 38th Presentation Luncheon for 2013 at the Gosford RSL Club. Digger's President Rodger Bruce was Master of Ceremony for an event where families and friends came together to celebrate the swimmer’s achievements.

2013 was the year when Don Miller, Dave Ferrington, Col Bullard and John Sherrington took off with the Summer Relay Championship – no mean feat against some stern competition over the previous 50 weeks. To add to this win, Don Miller was awarded the Bill Pile Unexpected Trophy for his incredible performances in the pool. Don “broke his handicap time 25 times” in Sprint Finals – a Club Record!

Col Bullard was one of our newer members and also won the Most Improved Trophy – where he has shaved seconds off his handicap times over the previous twelve months. Col has been pushing the Digger’s gun swimmers pretty hard that year and was set to overtake them in 2014. Great start Col!

Rob Lewis won the Summer and Winter Overall Points Scoring for 2013, as well as the 30m Summer Points Score, the 50 m and 75m Winter Points Score and the Overall Winter Points Score.

Dave Hurley, another long standing stalwart for the Diggers, won the President’s Trophy for his great support work all year round.

Finally Bill Caller was rewarded for his long standing contributions, swimming prowess and great sense of humour. Bill was awarded the Club Person of the Year for his stewardship and extraordinary service to the Diggers. This award should have happened years before, as Bill has been with the club for more years than we could count. Bill is a Ship’s Carpenter by trade and his handy-work had saved the Diggers on many occasions. Bill also can swim a mean time on demand and was First in his Age Group in the Sydney Metropolitan Championship Carnival earlier this year.

Well done all!

Report by Rob Lewis

A contingent of Gosford Diggers traveled to Melbourne for the 2019 AIF Swimming Association of Australia Inc. National Swimming Carnival. The boys each swam relentlessly and together won the day taking home the Bill Lough Memorial Handicap Point Score Trophy!

More of the Diggers' achievements that day are within, but the highlights include:
*1st in the 4x50m freestyle relay (Ray Weekes Memorial Trophy)
*John McQueen named the meet’s AIF Swimming Service Champion and overall winner in his age group.

Well done boys -you earned those bevvies!