For our eagle-eyed readers you may have noted that we missed the April Athletic Department Member of the Month.
Technically true, but with great reason: April saw so many amazing nominations that it has taken us this long to choose the right one.
With that, we are pleased to announce our April AD Member of the Month, Mr Brendan Maher.
Brendan personifies everything it is to win the Member of the month! Sheer will, bravery, participation and good old fashioned never giving up.
Brendan recently completed the Palm to Shelly 26km Swim – Australia’s longest, and one of the toughest. What makes this journey so much better is the conditions in which Brendan completed the race.
From the start, conditions were deplorable. A massive southerly storm hit with waves over two metres high crashing into the swimmers, and the wind was so ferocious it knocked Brendan’s supporter rower out of his kayak (don’t worry they were saved) meaning Brendan had to complete the journey unassisted.
Throughout the race, the weather deteriorated even more to the point that all swimmers were required to turn on their head torches just so they didn’t get lost in the dark!
After battling through currents that held up the field for hours Brendan and the other competitors moved further offshore to finally wrestle back some momentum. During his swim, Brendan came across every marine creature possible, from two reef sharks, a dolphin a seal twice the size of him, and, the icing on the cake, huge orange jellyfish that had been washed down from the Hawkesbury River.
All obstacles aside, Brendan managed to finish the swim and get back on dry land in 11 hours, 24 minutes, a huge accomplishment considering all the obstacles he faced.
Congratulations Brendan on your amazing and truly epic swim, and for becoming our April AD Member of the Month!
