Friday 14th: Social Notes and History Look-back

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Conditions

Yet another gorgeous sunrise.  Glassy water.  Perfect.  That first 50 metres is always colder, until you get to the Point’s rocks.  I saw sporadic jimbles all the way back across Cabbage Bay, circa 6.40 a.m.  (They’ve heard Fifi is back, and are on the hunt …)

 

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Management assesses the situation.  “We need to ask a 6.30er without a wetsuit,” JK says.  Eventually the Sevens split: east to Shelly, and north along beach.

 

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I love the way winter photos get lit by horizontal yellow light.  Natalie tells Naomie that Scrappy Scottie has passed a cigarette into one nostril and out the other …

 

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A-Team Interviews

Tim the Laughing Bishop began his racing days back at Knox School for wayward boys.  He raced in school comps, and at National Junior level.  “Grant Hackett used to smack me down,” says Tim, whose favourite time from those years is Four Minutes and Three Seconds for 400 metres.  If you are looking to delve further into spiritual matters, I’d recommend checking-in with this ebullient, happy-go-lucky minister   🙂

 

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This kid is keeping its cards close to its chest …

 

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Mid-August marks the 70th anniversary of USA’s atomic bombing of Japan.  The two bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, during the final stages of the Second World War, killed at least 129,000 people. This remains the only use of nuclear weapons in the history of warfare.  Godzilla (the Japanese King of Monsters – created 1954) was conceived as a metaphor for nuclear weapons.

 

Further information might be available from our resident nuclear physicist (but not about Godzilla).

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Tony swam with the Bold and Beautiful for some three years, before taking 12 months off.  “I had a friend in Glebe,” he says.  He’s back!

 

Were you born in the 1950s?  I saw this ‘Tubular Bells’ one-hour documentary on Youtube, and have listened to it three times now.  I thought it a fascinating backstory to that landmark 1973 album.

 

Click here for the doco: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf5N3pyN1lE

Several watershed moments, including:
•    Oldfield family mental illness and travails

•    Mike Oldfield, the self-taught, gifted teenage musician
•    Oldfield’s on-going struggle to get his demo tape heard
•    Purely accidental inclusion of the tubular bells (first spotted in hands of a removalist)
•    Side One’s dysfunctional, alcoholic narrator
•    How it launched young Richard Branson‘s Virgin Records – being his label’s first-ever release
•    Branson’s resistance to an album with no lyrics
•    First side of an album to be played on-air right through (nearly 26 minutes)
•    The incremental climb up charts
•    Mike Oldfield’s paranoia and reclusiveness – and his resistance to fame
•    How it wound up as spooky soundtrack to movie ‘The Exorcist’
•    The challenge of playing it ‘live’ (Twenty instruments)
•    Branson bribing Oldfield with the keys to his collectible Jaguar, to get him on-stage
•    And ultimately, the album’s staggering world-wide success

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Surf Club’s surf-ski Folk

Please spare a thought for paddlers making their way through our crowd, and toting their very long surf skis.  Although relatively light, the ski’s direction cannot be changed easily.  Make way please.  We are on their patch, and crowding out the front of their club seven days a week.

 

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A second posting of Lainey’s amazing photo from two days ago … I just love it!

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Friday Tri-Day

Adrian swears he baked this number all by himself.  It marks his 20th winter swim.  Other triathletes milling in background and getting grumpy, because the knife is late in arriving …

 

Big Billy

You would no doubt have seen Vanessa’s dog Billy many times down at the swim.  Often waiting by the showers on Surf Club porch, or at the sunny benches.

 

Billy had kept loyal vigil through some 500 kilometres of morning swims (Yes – Congratulations Vanessa!) at the Club.  Billy has now gone to God.  Farewell, big guy  …

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Not a Newbie

Trevor (right) is on holidays from USA, and having a visitor’s dip with us – in his brother’s wetsuit and swim kit … he is about to learn about jelly venom.

 

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Ghost Protocol

A hacking attempt was made on the website last week, when a lone wolf tried to access Management Codes, in order to manipulate Profile Informations.  An alert B&B female managed to block his uplink, and a crisis was averted.  A German national from the IT industry is assisting Management with its enquiries …

 

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Winter Badges, Bacon and Eggs

 

Winter and WWW Badges will be presented at usual venue – Royal Far West Hospital‘s encircled garden.

Sunday 13th September

8 a.m. – after the swim

$5 Donation – $10 per badge – Free Brekky

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Massive European Triathlon

Challenge Roth (Germany) is the world’s second-most-famous ultra triathlon after Hawaii’s.  A dozen Warringah crew went over a few weeks ago, to get stuck in.  Five Thousand Entrants.  A Quarter Million Spectators.  3.8 km Swim.  180 km Cycle.  38 km Marathon.  “The atmosphere was fantastic,” says Adrian.  “It was like racing in the Tour de France, with the crowd literally parting as you’d ride up a road.”  Below:  Chris, Isabelle and Adrian.

 

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Cake Stall this Saturday – Avner Foundation

Saturday a.m. to help raise awareness about “The Walk” on Sunday morning.  Any help baking and/or selling will be appreciated.

 

Sunday at ten a.m. Avner Pancreatic Cancer Research Foundation is having a fundraising fun walk.  Shelly – Queenscliff – Shelly.  Dress in purple and come along for some fun, or for the brekky sausage sizzle before & after on the day.  Help support an incredibly worthwhile cause.  We have a Pink Caps team walking!   Please join, support or donate   🙂

Below: The Spaniard’s baggy purples.  These would not stay up when wet!

 

 

Stats:

Swimmers:    135

Newbies:     Three

Temp:          16.1º