Busselton’s Old Courthouse Complex will host an exhibition and mini-documentary screening to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Busselton Jetty Swim.
“Everybody’s Swim – 30 Years Swimming Around Busselton Jetty” celebrates the history of the Busselton Jetty Swim and its connection to our local community. Featuring a collection of photographs and memorabilia, including iconic towels and t-shirts, the exhibition traces the evolution of this annual 3.6km swim around Busselton’s iconic jetty, from its humble beginnings to WA’s largest (and most loved) open-water event.
While the inaugural 3.6km swim around the Jetty had just 82 participants, the much-loved community event is now held annually over two days and attracts more than 5,000 swimmers of all ages and abilities who participate in a range of distances options.
A specially commissioned mini-documentary will also be screened, telling the story of the Busselton Jetty Swim through interviews with founders, long-term volunteers, and committee members.
Busselton Jetty Swim Committee Member and Exhibition Coordinator, Maureen Rabaud said the exhibit celebrates the history of the swim and its strong connection with the Busselton community.
“Busselton Jetty Swim has become a symbol of Busselton and our community spirit,” said Maureen. “It was created by the community, for the community and has become a tradition that connects people both within and to our community.”
Maureen said it had been fascinating revisiting the archives and discovering stories from the early days.
“The finish line of the first event was marked by two-star pickets in the water and some flags above it, and the prizes included a door lock and a hammer because one of the organisers, Max Higgins, was a builder so he’d asked some building suppliers to donate prizes.”
“And there were no electronic timing chips. Volunteers used a rolling stopwatch to time swimmers as they crossed the finish line and handed out raffle tickets so swimmers knew their place. But no one thought about wet hands and paper tickets, which made it challenging to read the numbers.”
“Who would have imagined the idea to swim around the Jetty would evolve into WA’s biggest open water swim and still be going 30 years later.”
Everybody’s Swim – 30 Years Swimming Around Busselton Jetty” will run from January 30 to February 17 at the Bonds Store within the Old Courthouse Complex (4-9 Queen Street, Busselton. Entry is FREE.
Other 30th-anniversary celebrations include Busselton Jetty Swim’s free Sunset Concert featuring iconic West Aussie rockers Jebediah on the Busselton Foreshore, Saturday, February 8 from 5:30 pm