Aquatic: WO2 Spike Minett keeps a close eye on the competition during a butterfly event at the Kokoda Barracks Swimming Carnival. Photo By WO2 Wayne Ryan

By WO2 Wayne Ryan
Volume 11, No. 39, March 23, 2006


STRANGELY enough, the Commonwealth Games officials didn’t appear at this year’s Kokoda Barracks Swimming Carnival in search of a replacement for Ian Thorpe, as a number of the swimmers thought they could do the job.

This year’s meet brought out hidden talent from within all units in the Canungra area, as they competed for the much sort after Area Swim Trophy.

Rivalry between the units this year was fierce, with teams conducting secret training after hours.

Organisers said that apart from the standard races that one would find at a world-class swim meet — somewhat like this one — they had also introduced two novelty races to make things more interesting.

At the end of the night after all the points were disputed and finalised and judges paid off, the results were; overall best male swimmer Flt-Lt Michael ‘the fish’ Fletcher, overall best female swimmer WO1 Lea (AKA Finding Nemo AKA Dory) Nimmo and Pte Sallyanne O’Halloran (with equal points).

All three swimmers were from the Defence Intelligence Training Centre (DIntTC), which was this years overall winning unit by only one point — just enough to give them the title for the second year running.

The trophy was graciously accepted by Commander DIntTC Lt-Col Mick Lehmann.

As slaps on the back and hand shacking went on, a voice from the crowd yelled, “The only winner here tonight was fitness.” That same person was later seen exiting the pool fully clothed.

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