AUSTRALIAN SWIMMERS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 77, Issue 81, 6 April 1934, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN SWIMMERS

MISS COOPER’S PRAISE. England’s champion swimmer, Joyce Cooper, who has been visiting Australia, has now left for home. Interviewed before she loft, she stressed the probability of her early return to Australia. While in Victoria Aliss Cooper was asked if she would consider coming back for the Centenary celebrations. The swimmer stated that if an official invitation is sent she will accept gladly, for, as she herself said, “I love Australia and the Australians and want to come back ns soon as I am able.” Austria’s hospitality and sporting spirit leaves nothing to be desired, and all I hope is that Australians who visit England will be treated as I have been. I could not wish them anything better. “As regards swimming, I would sny that Australia ranks a close third to America, with Holland in first place, and I hope Australia will raise the money to scud a fully representative women’s swimming team, at least, to the Empire Games, so that they may reap the reward they deserve. “I think Australia should carry off the honours if Bonnie Afealing, Clare Dennis and two free-style swimmers selected from Kitty Mackay, Edna Davey, Dorothy Withers and Francos Bult wore sent. “The tour has been more strenuous than I expected, mostly oij account of the travelling. I am tired, and feci I have done enough swimming for a time; but it is a happy tiredness. 1 would not have missed an inch of myjourneys. “The splendid organisation of the women’s carnivals is something I will never forget. Alany nations could take a lesson from them. “Another outstanding impression is the cheerfulness with which swimmers undertake a journey of hundreds of miles in order to swim at a carnival. During our tour of the Riverina we frequently saw the same faces among the

competitors. They must have travelled continually. Swimmers in England would not'do the same. “If my tour has done nothing else, it has helped to prove tho authenticity of Australian records. My performances arc well known m Europe, and many who have been sceptical of the time's credited to Australian champions must now be convinced of the speed of Australia’s best, and, above all. of the* number of promising swimmers here. “Mv advice to Auntralians is to carry on in the way they have begun to look after tho juniors—and they should soon win Olympic honours in frcc-stvle as well as in back stroke and breaststroke swimming.’’ RECTOR AS PIG DOCTOR Archdeacon England “dobunked’ his hard-won reputation an an agrievutural authority in his address the York Rotary Club (writes “Northerner,” in the Yorkshire Post). As Rector of Kirby Mispcrton, said Archdeacon England, he was visite I 1 late one night by a parishioner, wb? rode up on a pony and greet cd W with: “Shoe’s verra bad, sir.’ “Who, the missus'* “No, that black sow I bought at Malton, and I was told tha* there waa no man in the district know more about pigs than you. Will you come and look at her?” “It never pays to show your ignorance unless vou are compelled,” said the Archdeacon, “so I agreed to go.” Ho refused a proffered ride behind the parishioner, and followed on a bicycle. At the. farm the Archdeacon found tho sow in a bad way. Find:rig that it had had neither drink nor food that day, he advised a warm drink, which was then administered. When he B aw the pig carefully down for the night he promised to call the next day. On his return ho found the sow looked much better, and that she had eaten all her food. *’By gum,” i the farmer, “shoe’s mile? better.” “Just repeat the treatment,” said the Archdeacon. A few days later he visited Malton market, when he learned his parishioner had spread the news to all his friends: “If ivver thoo hast a pig a bit sick, just send for t’passon; he knows all about it.”