Sport can often provide a welcome break from the real world.
A masters swimming meet – involving a trip away from home with congenial clubmates – can be especially enjoyable.
But sometimes that real world intrudes. Enroute to the recent annual swim meet at Hervey Bay, the Noosa Masters contingent could not avoid that intrusion.
Along the M1 motorway through Gympie and on to Maryborough, there was unmistakable evidence of the recent flooding. The route was marked by potholed roads, wrecked fences and trees bent double by raging floodwaters.
There were sad glimpses of the gouged banks of the Mary River and flood marks high on house walls.
One could imagine both the large-scale devastation and the small-scale local tragedies.
At the Hervey Bay aquatic centre, members of other clubs were greeted with ‘How did you fare in the floods?’ instead of the usual ‘Are you swimming well?’.
But the day was far from doom and gloom.
The fierce yet friendly competition offered everyone the chance to put aside – for a few welcome hours – the relentless news of flood, pandemic and conflict.
Among the 113 competitors from 23 clubs, Noosa’s team performed well.
Five Noosa swimmers won age-group medals, and the team was ranked second in overall points scored. This time, Noosa could not wrest the trophy from the home team. Next year, perhaps.
Freed from lockdown, and with local floodwaters receding, the coffee shops and cafes on the Hervey Bay esplanade lived up to their reputations for excellence. This was a weekend away that exemplified the masters swimming motto of fitness, friendship and fun.
