After diving into the still, muddy water of Stoney Creek at Toronto in the early 1930s, Bill Walker usually took a lap or two to warm up. But when he did, Bill was hard to beat. Known for his staying power, the Newcastle Sun considered him ‘a swimmer of class with excellent prospects.’ Over the […]
Walking along the path from Toronto shopping centre to Fennel Bay railway station, you will encounter an old railway bridge known as Stoney Creek Bridge. It was here that the Stoney Creek Amateur Swimming Club was established in 1930 and where this flag, in the club colours of blue and gold, was proudly flown. The […]
Would you think twice before plunging into a murky creek at night? When the Stoney Creek Amateur Swimming Club (established in 1930) announced in 1934 that it would hold night races at Stoney Creek, near Toronto, Lake Macquarie, the young William ‘Bill’ Walker (1913-1975) probably had no reservations. This silver trophy was one of two […]
Holding the arm of her new husband Ernest John Phillips, Scottish-born Jessie McGeachie (1883-1947), descended the stairs in the garden of her parent’s home Craig Royston in Toronto, with its terraced lawns leading down to the edge of Lake Macquarie. It was the morning of 9 June 1909 and they had been directed to take […]
In November 1916, as the troopship HMAT Borda approached Cape Town, Private Leslie Clouten and his mates on board were surely impressed by the scenery – the city at the southern tip of Africa nestled between the shore and Table Mountain, rising behind. His ship had already called at Durban a few days earlier, and […]
When the Lake Macquarie swimming champion Bill Walker heard his name called, and he stepped up to receive his award for the Senior Point Score of 1935-6, he might have had a chuckle at being handed this silver-plated teapot trophy. That fresh winter evening in June 1936, at the Blackalls Park Hall near the banks […]
One Sunday in early February 1933, Bill Walker splashed out of the murky water and up the sandy bank of Stoney Creek near Toronto, Lake Macquarie. Puffing from swimming the 200-yard (183-metre) race, the 20-year-old was in fine form – beating his competitors in the very respectable time of 2 minutes and 46 seconds. That […]
In 1925 William and Jane Clouten of Tacoma added the final letter to this pile of correspondence they had been collecting. Creased where they had been folded for dispatch, the documents’ worn edges and dog-eared corners suggest they may have opened and read many times. Each document was a terrible reminder of the loss of […]
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