MEDIA ALERT
CAMPERDOWN OPEN WATER SWIMMERS
5:30AM – 7:30AM 4 DECEMBER 2020
Lake Bullen Merri
On the morning of Friday 3 December 2020, Western Victoria MP Bev McArthur will officially launch the Camperdown Open Water Swimmers (COWS) 6 Kilometre Dash across Lake Bullen Merri.
It will start at the South Beach boat ramp, Lake Bullen Merri at 5:30am and finish at the same place at 7:30am.
The swim will be led by Camperdown beef farmer and COWS Captain Rod Watkins, who has significant international ocean swimming experience.
Rod has completed the ‘Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming’: a 33.7 km swim across the English Channel in 2018, a 48.5 km circumnavigation of Manhattan Island in 2019 and a 32.5 km swim across the Catalina Channel in 2019.
Rod will be joined by COWS Founding Partner, Lachie Wilson who relocated back to the area at the start of 2020 to continue his funds management work; and Alison Watkins, Group Managing Director of Coca Cola Amatil. Alison regularly trains in Sydney ocean waters. There may be other starters if they make 5:30am start!
COWS is a ‘COVID creation’, founded at the Derrinalum Pub on 30 October 2020.
COWS members have swum regularly all week since it’s inception.
Quotes attributable to Bev McArthur:
“COWS is a great initiative to encourage healthy outside living after having been locked up in our homes for months on end.”
“Ocean Swimming inland is another fantastic use of the fabulous local crater lake, Lake Bullen Merri, which is often used for a variety of recreational activities such as fishing, sailing and water skiing.”
“Camperdown is home to numerous notable athletes, so this group is very befitting of the local area.”
“I am proud to have been offered to launch this important event, that hopefully becomes an annual tradition for many years to come, promoting healthy lifestyles and use of our unrivalled natural landscape.”
3 December 2020
