Brian Hoepper
The 2022 Pan Pacific Masters Championships are the latest international festival to emerge from the disruptions and disappointments of the past three years.
The Gold Coast event attracted over 13,500 participants from across Australia and 25 other nations.
Swimming – just one of the 42 Pan Pacs sports – drew 481 competitors, among them an enthusiastic team of 15 Noosa Masters.
The Noosa team won 51 medals in individual and relay events. Among the individual gold were Jan Croft, Liqun Hussey, Steph Jones, Ross Kee, Jo Matthews and Bob Morse.
In a dramatic finale to the swim program, the Noosa women’s relay team of Helen Malar, Jan Croft, Wendy Nothdurft and Steph Jones took gold and broke the 4X50 metres freestyle Pan Pacs record.
Earlier, Steph had become the only Noosa member to break a national record – the 200 metres freestyle.
Butterfly expert Jo Matthews enjoyed remarkable success, with gold and Pan Pacs records in the 200 and 400 fly and – in the 800 individual medley – gold, a Pan Pacs record and a state record that had stood for 27 years.
The Pan Pacs saw veterans Jan Croft and Bob Morse return to competition following injury. Both have been top 10 medallists at World Masters championships, and they’d clearly retained their talent. Jan won gold and four silver medals, while Bob snared four golds in backstroke events ranging from 50 to 800 metres.
There were silver and bronze medals aplenty among the remaining team members – Greg Bott, Julie Bott, Felicity Hawkins, Linda Hogg, Studley Martin, Jacky Shields and John Simonidis.
Fittingly, the team gathered to celebrate their excellent results and display their medals at the Greek Taverna Café. John Simonidis – drawing on his cultural roots – explained the mysteries of the Greek menu and led some of the team in an exuberant demonstration of Zorba-inspired dancing.
In an interesting footnote, Studley Martin affirmed his versality by moving on from the pool events to win a bronze medal in the Pan Pacs golf tournament and another bronze in the 1km open water swim.
That swim verged on the heroic. Athletes battled jellyfish stings, choppy waves and strong cross currents, causing many withdrawals.
Returning to Noosa, the team announced that the usually biennial Pan Pacs would become an annual event from 2023.
