We all have had that ‘someone special’ in our life that we feel truly blessed to have known and shared time together with. It may have been a family member, a distant relative or a friend that has been diagnosed with cancer. Some live on to fight the disease whilst others succumb. We feel helpless and share their pain.

So on Saturday the 24th February 2018, I swam the 19.7km Rottnest Channel Swim to raise money for Cancer Council WA and in memory of that ‘someone special’. If my mother could go through chemotherapy and raise 5 children, then surely I thought to myself I can endure the mental and physical challenge of swimming just under 20km in the open water to Rottnest Island. 

We all know Perth is famous for its beautiful clean beaches, however what nobody politely informed me about (as I returned to live in Perth in January after 12 years of living in Thailand), is that Perth is now famous for the sharks! Not just any kind of shark, but great white sharks and apparently they are a bit of nuisance!

The big day of the swim arrived on Saturday and I hit the water at 6.05am as part of the solo contingent.  There were just over 400 solo swimmers registered for the event and the weather was perfect with strong offshore winds and clear skies. Each swimmer must have a paddler and boat to accompany them for the swim, and there are no prerequisites for the swimmer, besides insanity.

It was around two hours into the swim when my paddler and brother Ben informed me that a boat was sinking! I kept my head down and prayed that it was not ours and to my relief we were all good. “Focus Johnnie”, I murmured to myself.

Around 30 minutes further into the swim as I breathed to my right I could see a helicopter hovering over the water. It looked around 500m away. Great, news reporters in a TV chopper if only they could come a little closer I might make the 10News at 5pm!  Another 10 minutes went by and the chopper was still in the same area which was quite far from the swimmers channel. I kept my head down swimming and prayed and repeated to myself "Focus Johnnie".

It was with great relief that I walked to the finish line and met my son whose smile was beaming from ear to ear. As I reflect on this day, I can now see the real reason I did the swim, it was to share with my children, Jesse and Pepper, the meaning of teamwork, commitment, perseverance, joy and the happiness of doing something for others that contributes to a community.

A special thank you to Eris Hess and from Agserv and Chris and Kristy Sands from Accurate Pest Control for their financial donations to my cause. https://rottnestchannelswim18.everydayhero.com/au/in-memory-of-someone-special

“The ties of human affection do not unravel in death, they are only strengthened” 

In memory of Noelle Elaine Ralph (Passed away on the 4th June 2002), a truly amazing lady whom I am lucky to call my mum.

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