2009 AUSSI
(Australian Union of Senior Swimmers International)
34th National Masters Swimming Championships Official Opening Ceremony
1 May 2009
National President, Masters Swimming Australia, Mr John Pugh,
President, Masters Swimming Queensland, Ms Therese Crollick,
Sponsors,
Distinguished Guests and visitors, especially those from interstate,
Members of Masters swimming clubs and branches around Australia,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In the spirit of reconciliation that we wish to promote throughout Queensland and Australia, I acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which this event is taking place - the Yuggera people and their elders, past and present.
As Governor of Queensland, I am very proud to join others in welcoming you to our State for these, the 34th National Masters Swimming Championships. I understand that the last time Queensland hosted the championships was in 2000 and we are delighted, in 2009, this year when we are celebrating our sesqui-centenary, our 150th birthday, once again to welcome you all to beautiful Queensland - both here at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre and at Lake Kawana on the Sunshine Coast, for those participating in the open water swim event.
I must say - reading about the hundreds of people assembling here from all around Australia - that this is a very impressive gathering - a real Diaspora of ages - and one which is very important.
Obviously it's important for you - or you wouldn't be here: but your meeting has a larger significance. You, the 601 competitors, are sending Australians a strong message: that Masters sports and Masters swimming is becoming a way of life for increasing numbers of Australians. There are good reasons for this, which go well beyond our status as one of the world's best swimming nations. The Olympics are an event designed for the world's professionals. We relish the achievements of our professional sportsmen and women, and applaud their prowess - but beyond this elite, a great deal many more Australians simply swim for the love of it.
Since 1975, Masters Swimming Australia has gone about capturing that natural attraction to swimming among all our age groups. Former champions, amateurs and weekend swimmers are all included. No money, not a great deal of fame, but an enormous amount of personal satisfaction.
The growth of the Masters movement tells us some other things about Australia. We have been living through an age where lifestyle has made us far less healthy than we should be. But as an antidote we are finally getting fitter by exercising more. Swimming just happens to be pretty well the best way to acquire that fitness as we climb up the demographic ladder.
That ladder is itself changing and in quite dramatic ways. As a society, we are getting older. Back in the early 1970's, when Masters Swimming Australia was set up, 31% of Australians were under 15. That figure has now dropped to just over 20%. Those over 65, on the other hand, were then a mere 8% : now they account for over 13% - and the percentage is expected to double in 40 years.
I know that nonagenarians and octogenarians are represented here. If, as yet, there are no centenarians, there soon will be: it is estimated that there will be 12,000 centenarians in Australia by 2020 and 50,000 by 2050. Age has a great way of equalising competition: you certainly don't have to be an ex-Olympian to win in the top age brackets.
Of course I'm not suggesting these games are about getting older. Far from it. I know that there are many here in their 20's and some who have relatively recently left the professional ranks and want to continue their passion for swimming in a more relaxed but still competitive way, among them the Ambassador for these championships, gold medalist Daniel Kowalski.
I congratulate you all for being part of the growing Masters bow wave of Australian swimmers who are making this sport a lifelong enjoyment.
In relation to enjoyment, I know that the Masters' motto is ‘Fitness, Friendship and Fun'.
Clearly, you are all pretty fit - but I do hope that your stay in Queensland will add to your friendships and that you will have a lot of fun while you are here, both in and out of the water. (I noted in the December edition of Aussie Masters News that Aussie Masters are known for their uninhibited frolicking - so I guess you don't need too much encouragement!)
On that note, and reiterating the warmth of the welcome that we in Queensland extend to you all, it is now my great pleasure to declare open officially the 34th and 2009 National Masters Swimming Championships.