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With Fathers Day fast approaching, Swanny Shorebreak decided to honour those doing the actual hard work, New Mums with Little Kids, to be our Clubbies of the Month, by interviewing Kath, Lucy, eMma and Nins. So in between sleeping, feeding, playing, afternoon naps and bath time, Swanny Shorebreak managed to find the time to email out some hard-hitting investigative journalism questions to KLeMN. Luckily for us, they're all multi-tasking maestroes and replied before we had time to put our toys away and change into a clean set of clothes.
¼ ½ ¾ 4⁄4 How long have you been at Swanny? K - I’ve been at Swanny since 2013/14. L - I did my Bronze in 2013, so this season coming will be my 7th (if my bad maths is correct). ◊ eM - I joined in 2011 and have done nine seasons at Swanny. N - Heading into my 5th season (Franetovich - got to be patrol team of the year for sure) ♦ How did you come to be at Swanny? K - I was roped into coming down by Gunzburg, and I have been eternally grateful to her ever since. ♠ L - North Cott had a long waiting list :) ♣ No seriously it did! But then one of my housemates at the time (Kaela Foley - ex clubbie) told me about how great Swanny was, mainly due to the parties at the time which seemed appealing! I also liked the idea of learning some new skills and getting fit. eM - I was looking for a reason to spend more time at the beach and some mates who might enjoy being there as much as I did. But I had no idea surf lifesaving would become such a huge part of my life. N - Joined because Jason was part of the club. As I play hockey in the winter ♥, this looked like a great summer commitment. Who is your little one?²² Is your partner also at Swanny?²¹ K - Yes, my son Lewin is a product of the successful Swanny breeding program as I met Cocky at Swanny. L - Max joined Swanny at the same time as me. We have an 18 month old toddler, Dylan and one half-baked getting prepped for the 2020 season (muscle emoji!) eM - I am married to Luke Bishop, whom I met at Swanny. We had a baby girl, Zoe Louise Bishop, in March this year. N - The little man is Lochie (Lochlan). Yep, my husband is that ripped surf lifesaver who can go from top of the pack during a Club ironman to last by purely a swim leg (sorry Jase ;) ). Fingers crossed 'lil Lochie has a hidden talent in swimming, unlike his parents. What is your parenting tip/hack? K - Blueberries make great bribes. L - Peppa pig. eM - Always have the baby carrier ∇ with you. And I really try to remember to have fun! N - Got none, still new at this. ∀ Who is your favourite ironman/ironwoman? K - Annie JJ, an inspirational athlete and mumma. ¹ L - All the Swanny Ironmen and Ironwomen! I love how at Swanny everyone can have a go, no matter your skill/fitness level. eM - It's got to be Shannon Eckstein. I can’t think of anyone who has been in the sport for as long as he has and with so much success. He is a hero! I have watched him race twice in Perth ², including the Ironman race at Aussies in 2018. I don’t think he won but he was leading at one point and it was so exciting to watch him race. It must be amazing for younger competitors to race along side with someone like that. Surf is an amazing sport in that way! N - hmmm, don't really follow the ironman series that intently that I have favourites, sorry Tim. ³ Favourite food? ∑ K - Chippies. L - Can I go for a full roast with all the trimmings?! Or does it have to be one specific food? If I HAD to pick one food only it would probably be ice cream (there's always a tub on the go in our house) eM - Hot chips. Luke thinks I might be 90% chip. N - Potato bake. Plans for next season? (Also what did you do at the Club last season but perhaps now may not be able to do given the little one?) K - Planning on having a go at a few down-winders and irons over the summer. The main thing I can’t do anymore since we had Lewin is train with Cocky so I’ll just have to wait til Club champs to beat him. ∞ L - Last season I wasn't as involved as I'd like, but I did become a Patrol Captain - they were short on numbers :) This season I am Newsletter Officer and Social Media Officer, Patrol Captain again (Sharp Patrol - the best of course), and plan to get involved as much as possible. eM - I was lucky enough to be able to complete my patrol hours and do the Swanny Ocean Classic while I was pregnant with Zoe. So I would like to do that again this year √. It is great to know that if it looks like I won’t be able to complete the patrol hours this season I could use our Parental Leave Policy and stay a member of the Club. N - To participate in Club ironman series again and do all the Club swims ∼. What are your plans for being at the Club and training this season? How often will the little one be with you? K - We’ve had a few good sessions at Dutchies over winter where one of us cracks waves while the other plays with bub at the playground. Hopefully this continues over summer. L - I plan to train as much as I can, there will be a bit of tag-teaming going on with Max no doubt. I'll keep up Monday night swimming and hopefully you'll see me sand running and floating about in a ski until I drop No.2... eM - But my main aim for 2020/21 is to get back into form on the sand. I’m not saying I’ll ever catch stars like Williams, Williams, Williams, Williams, Gunzburg or Simmonds but maybe if they are all sick on the day I might be able to make the 2 km podium. Swanny parents seemed to have mastered the tag-team parenting style to balance training with kids, so Luke and I will likely carry on that tradition. Zoe already has joined me for some off-season weights sessions in the courtyard so hopefully we’ll be a semi-permanent fixture on the beach all summer! N - I enjoy boards, ski's and running so will spend my time doing those. As we don't have much family in Perth, Lochie will be with us for all of it (except of course for patrols). What do you like about Swanny? K - The level of froth for waves, beers and nude swims. L - I think the people are what make Swanny the best. They're inclusive, friendly and their 'have a go' attitude means it's easy to get involved in as much or as little as you want. Every club relies on volunteers but there's a core group of people at Swanny who work tirelessly to make it an awesome Club. Joining was one of the best decisions we made since arriving in Perth 8 years ago. We've made life-long friends and plan to stick around for many years to come! eM - To me, Swanny is a little slice of heaven. I love seeing everyone on a busy Sunday in summer but also love being able to steal a couple of quiet moments in the courtyard or for a quick dip in the ocean. And I love Annual Dinner - where else could you drink beer out of a giant cheque! N - Amazing friendships and people. ≅ Anything else that is funny or interesting? K - I’m trying to get the third Hammond to join Swanny however he’s waiting until people forget about the Swanny Gold incident of 2016 (for those interested, check out Tim’s very factual and entertaining account of this event). § L - Swanny has been responsible for some shocking hangovers in the past (visions of sitting next to a fellow Clubbie on the beach as she frantically digs a hole to vomit into, while trying to avoid eye contact with the tip of a discarded board poking out of the sand from the ritual board burning). Since having Dylan, hangovers are few and far between, but I'll always save them for a Swanny party! eM - I am neither of those things so I’ll leave it there. N - Currently too sleep deprived to think of something and not sound like I'm trying too hard :) Notes: ◊ You are correct in saying this will be your 7th season, however you joined and gained your Bronze Medallion in the second half of 2014! ♦ The baby of the group! ♠ No mention of the brief flirtation with Cottesloe? ♣ There have been several, now solidly Swanny Members, who began their surf lifesaving journey at North Cott. ♥ Great choice of a winter sport! ¹¹ New Mums Little Kids ¹² Kath, Lucy, eMma, Nins. ²¹ Jase, cocKy, Luke, Max ²² Lewin, dyLan, zoe Louise, Lochie ∇ Do you mean Luke? ∀ Lucy had nothing either, but I made up some sage advice that you could follow. That advice was "Take advice from other New Mums with Little Kids", but Lucy said that was terrible - that’s the opposite of what she’d say. That’s like the blind leading the blind! ¹ Great choice, great ironwoman, great New Mum with Little Kid. ² The other time would have been when the Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Ironman Series Round 4 Marathon / Super Enduroon 29 January 2012 passed through Swanny! ³ You obviously don't really follow the Clubbie of the Month series that intently either, or you would have known the answer is Shannon Eckstein and Courtney Hancock! ∑ Interestingly the answers were largely potato based although we all scream for ice cream! ∞ At last season's Club Championships, Kath competed in the Ironman (as opposed to Ironwoman) event, but didn't beat Cocky. √ What would you like to do again this year? Patrol and help at Swanny Ocean Classic or be pregnant? ∼ Maybe do one better than second place in a Trophy swim! ≅ What about Abel McGrath note pads? § There was one concern from Event Officials with a board paddler (water safety for this leg mandated that every swimmer had a board paddler), that had fallen behind their swimmer (they were a proficient Scarboro Bronze Medallion holder, however had lost their necessary prescription glasses and then struggled to stay by their swimmer). This resulted in several radio communications between Event HQ, roaming ATV and IRBs to ensure he was ok – he was. Swimmer §§ was on the toes of another swimmer so was close to water safety board paddler throughout Event. §§ Results also state Kath was DQ - Lack of Water Safety Photos: ¼ Back when I could suffer a hangover without it looking like a scene from ‘A quiet place’.. ½ My first blue party ¾ Blue Party 4⁄4 Swanny Blue Party 2018 KLeMN were all asked the same request: 'Do you have a photo of you at Swanny/surf lifesaving etc that can go with the profile?". Three out of four sent in Blue Party photos, so we found a Blue Party photo for the fourth. ¼ Left to right: Kath, Emu Export ½ Left to right: Unknown, Unknown, Lucy, Max, Claire. Back left to right: Unknown, Kate, Unknown ¾ Left to right: Bowl of Chuppa Chups, Chaff, Blue Cup 4⁄4 Left to right: Yellow-tailed Blue Fish, Nins, Jase Who is Who: Kath, K - Kath Laws (nee Hammond), Twice Swanny Ironman Series Ironwoman ChampionLucy, L - Lucy Helliwell, Newsletter Officer and Social Media Officer and thus my boss!eMma, eM, Chaff - Emma Chaffey, Twice Social Manager and Annual Dinner OrganiserNins, N - Ninette Lorenzen, Twice second in Trophy swims in 2019/20 Season.Gunzburg - Lucy Gunzburg, Deputy President and wanna-be 4th Williams Sister.Kaela Foley - Michaela Foley, former Active Member in early 2010s.Jason, Jase - Jason Williams, never Club Ski Champion not related to the Williams Sisters.Lewin - Lewin Laws, first child of Kath and Brenton LawsCocky - Brenton Laws, Once Social Manager and Annual Dinner OrganiserMax - Max Davies, Twice Social Manager and Once (Missed one with Covid) Annual Dinner OrganiserDylan - Dylan Davies, first child of Lucy Helliwell and Max DaviesLuke Bishop, Luke - Luke Bishop, Club President, Twice Country Carnival OrganiserZoe Louise Bishop, Zoe - first child of Emma Chaffey and Luke BishopLochie, Lochlan - first child of Ninette Lorenzen and Jason WilliamsAnnie JJ - Anne-Marie Juengling (nee Williams), Thrice Swanny Ironman Series Ironwoman ChampionShannon Eckstein, Ironman, GOAT, Twice Australian Ironman Champion at Scarborough Beach but not in 2018.Williams - Anne-Marie Juengling (nee Williams) - Former State 2 km Beach Run ChampionWilliams - Bernadette Williams - Twice former State 2 km Beach Run ChampionWilliams - Bethany Williams - Former Masters State 2 km Beach Run ChampionWilliams - Miriam Williams - Future State 2 km Beach Run ChampionGunzburg - Lucy Gunzburg - Former Masters State 2 km Beach Run ChampionSimmonds - Main Simmonds - Former State 2 km Beach Run ChampionThird Hammond - Kath Laws (nee Hammond) and Sarah Hammond's brother who wears prescription glassesTim - Tim Tucak, Never Social Manager, Annual Dinner Organiser nor Swanny Ironman Series Ironwoman ChampionEmu Export - Canned alcoholic beverage of beer variety, favoured by Swanny MembersUnknown - Unknown Blue Party Participant dressed as Cookie MonsterUnknown - Unknown Blue Party Participant dressed as Cookie MonsterClaire - Claire Hafekost, former Active Member in mid to late 2010s.Unknown - Unknown Blue Party Participant dressed as Cookie MonsterKate - Kate Hutchison, Club Captain, Twice Country Carnival OrganiserUnknown - Unknown Blue Party Participant dressed as Cookie MonsterChuppa Chups - A Spanish brand of lollipop sold in over 150 countries around the worldBlue Cup - Appropriately coloured cup for Blue PartyYellow-tailed Blue Fish - Blue Fish with Yellow Tail, once spotted at Blue Party