Awell-known community figure and local sporting club president has taken to the water for a good cause.


Mount Gambier Swimming Club president Nathan Stratford raised over $5000 for the Starlight Children’s Foundation’s through Starlight Super Swim fundraiser which will support sick children.


The fundraiser saw Mr Stratford, who despite his position has never swam competitively before, swim every day for a month.


“I have been involved in swimming in the area on its own and it’s not a skill that I actually have,” he said.


“I thought it would be a good way for myself to get fit and learn a new skill even though


I coach swimming and I have for the last four or five years but I have never been a competitive swimmer.


“I can save myself but I have never been a competitive swimmer so it was a bit of a challenge for myself to do it.


“I know swimmers in our club have done the Starlight Foundation swim challenge in the past and realistically the time was right.


“I set a target of $750 to raise for the month initially and I think we blew that away in the first two days so I was pretty stoked with it.


“It was good to be able to provide that financial support to the foundation and really it was dual purpose for me because it was about getting fitter and having that challenge but if I could make some money along the way that was a good thing.”


Mr Stratford said the biggest challenge for him was to fit in a swim each day in between work, coaching and life commitments.


“For me it was not so much about what the distance was, it was just about trying to get into the pool every day as that challenge and find space in the day to do it which was difficult at times,” he said.


“It’s not about distance it was about just getting in and I made that challenge to get in every day so it did not matter if it was 150m or 500m.


“I averaged probably 350m to 400m a session and we had a bit of fun with it because I am obviously a coach.


“I did actually do a couple of PBs and I cut back some times from 35 seconds a lap to 28 seconds a lap so I was pretty happy with myself.”