News Articles
- November HAWK-O-METRE: 91%
- Year-to-Date HAWK-O-METRE: 87%
- Our FREE Come & Try Sessions were advertised across a large number of the Bendigo school newsletters. Thanks to both Katrina and Maddy for leading this.
- We launched an Open Water Team initiative that we plan to build over time as a way to also encourage more swimmers to build ties to a local club. Thanks to Jeff Swan for championing this.
- We have partnered with Return to Performance Physiotherapy to strengthen a holistic health approach to our swim program. We are in-store at Grill’d as part of the Local Matters initiative – so be sure to grab a burger soon
- Stage 1: Complete the online learning for the TO skill you'd like to develop
- Stage 2: Complete your the pool-deck development and assessment for your chosen skill
- Stage 3: Officiate at your first swim meet as a Hawks Technical Official
- 22 Personal Bests
- 6 Gold Medals
- 5 Silver Medals
- 5 Bronze Medals
- 4 Country Championships QTs
- 1 State Age Championship QT
- 1 State Sprint Championship QT
- Our Facebook content has reached over 3,500 people with 2,600 actively engaging with it in the last 28 days
- The Hawks Fly Higher photo reel has been viewed 1,974 times in 5 days
- Our Facebook follower base has grown by +85 since September and now sits at nearly 400 active followers
- 44 personal best times
- 9 Country times gained
- 4 State Sprint times gained
- Riley S - GOLD in the 200 Fly
- Jack H - GOLD in the 100 Breast and SILVER in the 200IM
- Hamish K - BRONZE in the 100m Back (See the action shot on the Front page)
- Jemma C - 50 Free
- Hamish K - 50 Free, 100 Back and a whopping 21.40 seconds off his 200 Free!!!
- Georgia P - 100 Back, 100 Fly
- Josie S - 100 Back, 50 Fly
- Riley S - 100 Back
- Evie W - 50 Fly
- Luella W - 50 Free, 50 Fly, 50 Breast
- Reese P - 50 Free, 50 Back and 13.67 off her 50 Fly (sans goggles!!)
- Lucy P - 100 Fly
- Jemma C: 50 Free (1st), 100 Free (1st), 50 Fly (3rd)
- Hamish K: 50 Free (3rd), 100 Back (3rd), 200 Free (3rd)
- Georgia P: 100 Fly (2nd), 100 Back (3rd)
- Lucy P: 100 Fly (2nd), 50 Free (3rd)
- Reese P: 50 Fly (1st),50 Free (2nd),50 Back (2nd)
- Josie S: 50 Fly (2nd)
- Riley S: 200 Fly (1st)
- Jemma C - 3rd place, 18/o Girls
- Riley S - 3rd place, 14yo Girls
- Josie S - 4th place, 12yo Girls
- Adele Y - 50 Free, 50 Back
- Luella W - 50 Free, 50 Back, 50 Breast, 50 Fly
- Bailey S - 50 Back
- Jack H - 100 Free
- Lucy P - 50 Free, 50 Fly, 50 Breast, 50 Back, 100 Free
- Zali C - 50 Free, 100 Breast
- Charli Mc - 50 Free,50 Fly, 50 Breast, 50 Back
- Evie W - 50 Free, 50 Back
- Xav S - 50 Free, 100 Back, 100 Free
- Ruby C - 50 Free, 100 Back, 100 Free, 100 Breast
- Georgia P - 50 Free, 100 Free
- Josie S - 100 Fly, 100 Free
- Hamish K - 50 Back, 100 Free
- Riley S - 100 Fly
- In person at PKLC
- Send an email to pklc.ymca@ymca.org.au. The email must come from the email address you used when you signed your membership form.
- Round 1 - Sunday June 5th 2022 - Short Course
- Round 2 - Sunday July 10th 2022 - Short Course
- Round 3 - Sunday September 4th 2022 - Long Course
- The Meet is scheduled to be finished before midday.
- Results will only be posted to the Meet Mobile app.
- The Meet Program will be available for download from www.cvs.org.au on Thursday.
- Ribbons will not be handed out at the Meet. We will send all the ribbons for this Round and Round 1 to your home Club.
- Spectators (that is, anyone who is not a parent/guardian) are not permitted to attend.
- All swimmers 11/under must be accompanied by one parent/carer.
- Just two coaches and one Team Manager per Club please.
- The Relays will not be run.
- We'll be trying to disperse the Clubs around the facility as best we can to help with social distancing, so please bring your own chairs. The grandstand may not be available to you.
- Once your swimmers have completed all their events we'd appreciate it if you could leave the facility at your earliest convenience.
- In line with Victorian government advice, masks must be worn at all times.
- Round 1 will now be held on Sunday July 4th - Short Course
- Round 2 will now be held on Sunday August 1st - Short Course
- Round 3 will now be held on Sunday September 19th - Long Course
Hawks fly in the Open Water
1st February 2024 by the President
What a great two weeks it has been for our Open Water squad - the Seahawks. Earlier this month, Brad, Adam, Jeff, Ian, Darren and Paul all competed in the Danger Swim Series hosted by the Jan Juc SLSC. Our boys competed in the Danger 1000 swim. Meanwhile, Coach Jack and Coach Maddy both raced in the famous Lorne Pier to Pub event. Well done to the Seahawks and thanks to HQ Law and Bendigo Windows for supporting the squad. Next up will be the Nagambie Club 2 Pub on February 24th.
If you'd like to join the Seahawks to do some open water swimming with us just click here to email the Open Water Swim Squad. It’s a whole lotta fun!
Carnival kept afloat despite poor weather
10th January 2024 by the Bendigo Advertiser
Heavy rain failed to stop Bendigo Hawks Aquatic from completing its biggest swimming carnival of the summer. The annual carnival at Faith Leech Aquatic Centre is an important part of the Victorian long course season and attracts about 250 competitors from all over the state.
A lightning strike forced the Hawks to delay the start of the program, but much to the delight of the athletes, the club was able to complete the individual schedule. "There were kids from all over Victoria at the carnival chasing qualifying times for the Victoria Country championships in Traralgon in a couple of weeks, so we prioritised those events," Bendigo Hawks Aquatic president Adam Webb said.
"Essentially, we pulled the relays from the card and focused on the individual events. "Considering the weather challenges we had, the club was really happy with how the day went. "We had great support from Swimming Victoria officials, who worked really closely with us in the lead up to the carnival and on the day itself."
Webb said he was proud of the way the club, swimmers, parents and officials banded together for the betterment of the sport. "It wasn't normal conditions, so everyone who participated in the pool, to the parents and families who were time keepers in the wet all day and the officials who walked up and down the pool deck in the wet all day - they were the standout performers," he said. "The support from the management team at Faith Leech Aquatic Centre was outstanding as well. "For everyone to pull together to prioritise the opportunities for those swimmers to qualify for the country championships was a real team effort."
Despite the rain, some swimmers managed to produce fast times and earn a berth at the country titles. "It's a bit like footy and netball, you have players that love playing in the cold and wet and others who prefer the weather dry," Webb said. "We saw swimmers who thrived in the wet and colder conditions, while others probably struggled with it a bit. "I think it was an experience that everyone will look back on fondly because it was unique conditions." Bendigo will be well-represented in Traralgon, with a big group of swimmers from Bendigo Hawks, Bendigo East and Kangaroo Flat qualifying for the carnival.
News from the Nest
2nd December 2023 by the President
November was once again a busy month for Hawks Swimming with our swimmers competing at a number of events across Victoria.
Congratulations to everyone who participated. The PB Hawk-O-Meter continues to highlight terrific progress with our swimmers
achieving PBs each time they dive off the blocks.
Over the last four weeks the club has also been very busy preparing an application to host the 2025 & 2026 Long Course Country Championships in Bendigo. The application will be a collaboration between all three Bendigo Swim Clubs (BHA, BESC & KFSC), more will be shared in the coming weeks on the work we are doing as a Bendigo Swimming community. It makes for an exciting 2024.
We are continuing to build our Hawks Swimming presence within our community, here’s a quick snapshot of what we achieved in November:
Finally, Bendigo Hawks Aquatic have also been nominated for the Good Sports Club of the Year. This again highlights the progress we are making to grow the nest towards 2025. We are incredibly proud of our Gold Medal Accreditation with Good Sports and the partnership we have with them.
Until next time – Hawks Fly Higher!
Return To Performance joins the Hawks Nest
1st December 2023 by the President
We are excited to welcome Return to Performance Physiotherapy (RTP) as our newest Hawks Supporter. RTP are based in Epsom within The Human Mechanics Building.
Under our Hawks Supporter partnership all Bendigo Hawks Aquatics members will receive 15% off consultation fees with RTP. In addition, lead Physio Chris Adkins will be working with our coaches to support a collaborative and team approach to minimising and overcoming injuries.
Chris has 14 years of experience as a physiotherapist. He's one of only three Titled Sports & Exercise physiotherapists in Central Victoria. An Australian Physiotherapists Association Title is a formal recognition of the attainment of a highly developed level of competency in a particular area of practice. An APA member must successfully complete a rigorous process to prove they have the required level of clinical expertise and knowledge to achieve Titled status.
With elite sports experience in the AFL, WNBL, SEABL, NBL1 and ATP/ITF tennis tours, Chris' practice focuses not only on injury rehabilitation, but also injury prevention and optimising performance through strength & conditioning. Using modern technology such as force plates and hand-held dynamometers, athletes can see their current capabilities and areas which require improvement. This is particularly important for swimming, where a loss of strength in the shoulder can precede development of pain or other symptoms. Proactive monitoring can keep athletes performing at their best and prevent time lost to injury or pain.
Please join me in welcoming RTP and Chris to the Hawks Nest. Booking’s with RTP can be made via their booking portal.
Stables Summer Series and Country/State Squad presentations
23rd November 2023 by the Secretary
The 2nd Round of the 2023/24 Stables Summer Series will be held on Monday December 11th at FLAC.
In addition to a great night of time-trial fun for our Hatchlings, Sparrowhawks and U/11 Falcons we will also be using the time together as a Club to present our upcoming State and Country Championship Representative swimmers with their swim cap and shirt, thanks to our Podium Partner Leisure Pools Bendigo.
A pizza dinner will be provided. To help with catering please RSVP your attendance on the Events Calendar under the Stables Summer Series Round 2 event icon in the Team App.
Develop as a Hawks Technical Official
14th November 2023 by the President
A key enabler for the future growth of the Hawks Nest is having the ability to run swim meets with our own team
of a Hawks Technical Officials. Over the course of a season opportunities are in abundance to start the learning
journey across a variety of Technical Offical (TO) roles and responsibilities
and as a swimming club our aim is to have a group of suitability qualified Technical Officials to help us advance the
sport in Bendigo.
As encouragement to begin, we're offering some real and tangible benefits to our Club members which will be realised at each stage of the journey:
Email our President Adam Webb or speak to him on pool-deck to learn about the benefits on offer and visit the Swimming Victoria Technical Officials web page to learn more about what's involved. Parents and members who have already started along the TO pathway are eligible to receive the benefits being made available.
Go Bailey at the SSA Nationals!!!
6th August 2023 by the Team Manager
In just over two weeks, our very own Bailey Stone will compete in a massive schedule of eight events including six individual events and two relays at the 2023 SSA National Championships. Bailey will be representing Team Victoria in Sydney between the 21st and 29th of August. We at Bendigo Hawks Aquatic are very proud of you Bailey, we wish you the best of luck and we can’t wait to see your results!
Welcome Nicole!
3rd August 2023 by the President
On behalf of the Bendigo Hawks Executive Committee, and our Coaching Team led by Tyson and Carla, we are delighted to announce this morning the appointment of Nicole Rykers as a new member of the BHA Coaching Team joining Tyson, Carla, Jack and Maddy. The team will be further boosted by the return of Tricia who will be back for the summer.
Nicole is already a member of the Hawks Nest as mum to Lily who swims with our Sparrowhawks squad. Nicole is currently a Swim Coach at Swimz Bendigo and has a passion for teaching young people a skill for life. She is now looking forward to supporting our Hawks with their swimming goals, having seen her own children progress towards their competitive swimming goals. Nicole has seen first-hand the positive impacts of competitive swimming, having grown up with a sister who participated in the sport.
Nicole joins us at an exciting time as we start to prepare for a big summer of swimming at Faith Leech Aquatic Centre. Her appointment is also supporting the investment our club is making in developing and growing our Coaching program, which is a key focus area of our three year “Grow the Nest” strategic plan.
Please join us in welcoming Nicole onto the BHA Coaching Team.
News from the Nest - July
25th July 2023 by the President
A month on from our historic Swimming Victoria Club of the Year achievement we continue to make great progress in the delivery of our three year strategic plan to “Grow the Nest” towards 2025. Central within our plan is to make the City of Greater Bendigo a swimming destination and this month, in partnership with Bendigo East and Kangaroo Flat swimming clubs, we hosted a Development Day featuring former Australian Dolphin, Olympic and Commonwealth Games medalist Taylor McKeown. Given the impressive attendance and positive feedback that was received from swimmers, parents and coaches, this will be just the start of a number of events that we hope to hold across the District to improve the opportunities for athletes who are proudly representing their regional Clubs.
August is a particularly busy month at The Hawks Nest with Short Course Championships taking up much of the focus. Congratulations to our Hawks who have secured Qualifying Times for both the Country and State Age Championships. This weekend's Kangaroo Flat Swim Club SC Meet is the last opportunity for swimmers to secure a Qualifying Time for the Victorian Country Short Course Championships, to be held in Wangaratta on August 12th and 13th.
In addition to the “in pool” action, planning for the Long Course season and a big summer at Faith Leech Aquatic Centre gets underway. Over the coming weeks the Executive Committee will be working with the Coaching Team to plan our weekly squad time table and resourcing.
The date for the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Bendigo Hawks Aquatic has recently been communicated and we welcome expressions of interest from members who may like to nominate for a position on the Executive or General Committee for the next twelve months. Nomination forms can be found in the club rooms at Peter Krenz Leisure Centre. An overview of positions available can be found in this document.
For any enquires prior to the AGM please email Club Secretary Karen Pascoe.
Until next time... Hawks Fly Higher!
News from the Nest - June
28th June 2023 by the President
What a special few days to be a Bendigo Hawk! Last Friday night in Melbourne our club was recognised as the 2023 Swimming Victoria Club of the Year, an acknowledgement that everyone associated with the Hawks should be immensely proud. We are a club built on the historical foundations of the Bendigo Swimming Club (Est. 1917) and Eaglehawk Swimming Club (Est.1966) – histories still very much etched in our modern day “Hawks Fly Higher” spirit.
At the final round of our Annual Winter Series in August we will have the opportunity to further celebrate our
history and 2023 Club of the Year Award with a special one-off swim cap 
that our swimmers will
be presented with and compete in as we close out the 2023 Winter Series. Thank you to Lyndsey York and Donna Crapper
for their help in co-ordinating.
Congratulations to Bailey Stone on his selection for Team Victoria. Bailey will be representing his school, the Big V and the Hawks in Sydney in August at the All Schools National Championships and we wish him every success. This is a terrific achievement and the second year in a row a Bendigo Hawk as made the team with Jack Hocking competing last year in Queensland.
A final congratulations to Jarrod Sinclair who has made a start on training to be a Technical Offical with Swimming Victoria. Having a club equipped with its own accredited officials is an important priority for both BHA and Central Victoria Swimming. Well done Jarrod!
Until next time... Hawks Fly Higher!
News from the Nest - May
2nd June 2023 by the President
Plenty to cover in a bumper edition of “News from the Nest” so let’s get straight into it.
Our Strategic PlanMomentum when it comes to our key focus areas as a club continues to advance. Since January 1st we have had 41 new Hawks join the nest and have commenced work to automate and improve a number of our systems including starting the migration to Team App away from Facebook and we will soon be changing financial software from MYOB to Xero to enable better reporting and ease of management for our Voluntary Club Administrators most notably our Treasurer.
Winter Series kicks off for another seasonOur Annual Winter Series is celebrating 25 years and is set to welcome over 500 swimmers across 3 rounds to Bendigo. Next week I will be hosting a meeting with the Presidents of Bendigo East and Kangaroo Flat that will also include Swimming Victoria CEO Jason Hellwig and Sport Development Manager Clare Burton to discuss our progress as a swimming community. Both these items are helping shape the City of Greater Bendigo as a swimming destination. When it comes to continuing to develop our competitive presence and coaching team, we are thrilled to announce we will be partnering with Metropolitan super club Nunawading. Over time we hope to build a strong relationship with “Nuna” that may in turn create high performance and learning pathways for our swimmers and coaches.
Ashlee Grace to join the Hawks NestWe are excited to welcome Ashlee Grace Swimwear as a Hawks support partner. Through this partnership Hawks swimmers and families will have a VIP experience when it comes to acquiring swimwear through an upfront and ongoing discount offer. Work has already commenced to start the development of a Hawks swimwear range including new backpacks and a refreshed swim cap. The VIP program offers 20% of the entire Ashlee Grace range with each purchase contributing credits towards further discounts and benefits that the swimming club can access on a quarterly basis to support its swimming program.
First month back at PKLCRecently the BHA Executive and Coaching Teams along with PKLC Management reviewed the first month back poolside. Whilst the return has been reasonably smooth we are experiencing some limitations with pool space given the larger population of Aquatic user groups at PKLC. The Coaching Team have been working incredibly hard behind the scenes to ensure we can continue to offer an appropriate squad program at each level of swimming. We will be trialling a few tweaks in the weeks ahead which may see some adjustments to scheduling, we also have Coach Jack away for a number of weeks during winter as he jets off overseas. One part of the program we want to focus on is the development of “Super Funday Friday”.
Super Funday FridayCommencing next Friday June 3rd, Super Funday Friday will give all squads the opportunity to really bring to life our club value of “we are champions of fun and friendships”. With no limitations on lane space this will enable us to better utilise the pool to train like a hawk then have fun like a hawk! We are hoping overtime that Friday nights become a great way for families to close out the week by having some fun at PKLC. More to come next week.
Finally, we wish Coach Tyson and Carla speedy recoveries from a bout of illness this week, thank you to our families and swimmers for there understanding and members of our Club Leadership Team for working together behind the scenes to quickly plan cover to keep our Hawks in the pool.
Good luck to everyone competing on Sunday!
Swimmers to make a splash in Bendigo Hawks Aquatic Winter Series
23rd May 2023 by the Bendigo Advertiser
The Victorian Short Course season of swimming gets underway this weekend at Gurri Wanyara with Round One of the Bendigo Hawks Aquatic Annual Winter Series, Presented by Leisure Pools and Spas Bendigo.
In 2023 the Hawks annual Winter Series is celebrating 25 years and a constant presence behind the scenes since 2004 has been Greg Smith, the long-standing Competitions Officer of the Bendigo Hawks and former President of the Eaglehawk Swimming Club who in 2011 amalgamated with the Bendigo Swimming Club to establish Bendigo Hawks Aquatic.
Speaking on the eve of the opening round, Bendigo Hawks Aquatic President Adam Webb paid homage to Smith’s contribution to swimming across Central Victoria. “Greg’s energy to see more children participate in competitive swimming is a contributing factor to the longevity of the Winter Series.” “Without volunteers such as Greg, community sporting events like this just don’t survive.” Webb said.
The Bendigo Hawks Aquatic Winter Series is held over three rounds with round two on June 25th and the final round on August 27th and attracts over 500 swimmers from across Victoria.
Hawks soar at Skoda Round 1
20th May 2023 by the President
Congratulations to our team of Hawks who helped kick start the 2023/24 Short Course Season in fine style! Sportsmanship, positive team vibes featured strongly along with some outstanding individual swims from each and every Hawk! A big thank you to Coach Carla and our support team of parents for a great day pool side in Ballarat.
Focus now shifts to Gurri Wanyarra and our Winter Series. A reminder to all Hawks to get your entries in early!
2023 All Junior Finals Wrapped!
19th March 2023 by the Head Coach
We saw fantastic improvements, hard & fast racing, emotions from the support team and huge cheers for the whole squad! The squad dealt with cooler conditions today so the message was put your best foot forward and attempt to improve on yesterdays race! The Butterfly events were up first. Reese P started the day with 7th in 9yrs 50m FLY. After choking on water she still managed to be within 0.1 of her PB! Lucy P smashed her way into 10th in the 11yr 50m FLY, which would have been a PB if she didn't swim so fast yesterday! Next up was the 10yr Hawks duo of Jack H & Bailey S. Both had amazing swims, Bailey securing SILVER and Jack achieving 7th in a faster time than yesterday! Last for the FLY was Mermaid McConvill (also know as Charli) who swam a faster time than yesterday to achieve 8th in the 12yrs 50m FLY. Special Mention to BHA friends from Castlemaine - Jomal N securing 10th in 10yrs 50 FLY and Elspeth C getting GOLD in 11yrs 50m FLY.
Backstroke was next. First up was Billy K blasting a huge 1sec PB to get BRONZE in 8&U 50m BACK. Also in his race was Owen H who (fun fact) was one of only two 7yr olds in the 8yr old FINAL! Next was the 10yr old dynamic duo of Jack & Bailey both winning medals in BACK and swimming faster than yesterday. Bailey won GOLD and Jack won BRONZE. A double podium for the Hawks! Evie McKeown (I mean, Webb), smashed out her 12yrs 50m BACK, achieving 10th for BHA! Finally it was "Hammer Time", with Hamish K swimming faster than yesterday to secure 8th in the 13yrs 50m BACK. Shout out once again to Castlemaine swimmer Jomal achieving 4th in the 10yrs 50m BK!
The Breaststroke events started strongly thanks to Ruby H who finished 9th in the 8yrs 50m BREAST in a huge PB! Next was Billy K up again after his huge BACK he consolidated his time from yesterday achieving 8th in the 8yr old Boys 50m BREAST. Maka 'The Frog' Soko pulled out another 1.5sec PB after yesterday to secure BRONZE in the 9yr old girls! Jack H and Bailey S were both back in the water swimming their hearts out swam their hearts out resulting in GOLD for Jack and 6th place for Bailey, both boys PB'ed again! For our 11yr olds was Zalli C had an "outside smoker" to secure 8th in a faster time than yesterday! Our 12yr old duo of Morgan W & Ruby C both swam sensationally! Ruby achieving GOLD and Morgan securing 9th in the 50m BREAST. Shout out to unattached Swan Hill/Kerang swimmers Alexander C & Rory P. Rory for swimming a PB & achieving BRONZE in the 9yrs 50m BREAST and Alexander for swimming a PB and placing 4th in the 12yr 50m BREAST.
To finish off a great day the Freestyle events hit the water. Ruby H did a near 2sec PB to achieve 10th in the 8yrs 50m FREE. The last race for the dynamic duo of Bailey and Jack, a bit tired after their other 50s, still did their best and made BHA proud - Baile winning GOLD and Jack placing 7th and in the 10yr 50m FR. Ruby C secured 7th, just slightly over the PB she did yesterday while Hamish K, swimming faster than yesterday, achieved 5th in the 13yr 50m FR. Special Mention to BHA friend from Kerang Alex C for achieving 4th in a PB time in 12yr boys 50m FR.
THANKS TO EVERYONE! Coaches, Time Keepers, Team Managers and the support crew up in the stands, at home seeing results and our training teams for helping everyone achieve what they did today! WE ARE FLYING HAWKS! SO MUCH TO BE PROUD OF!
Eaglehawk UFS supports our Coaches
15th December 2022 by the President
We're delighted to welcome Eaglehawk UFS Dispensary to the Hawks Nest. Through their generous support our young and enthusiastic team of coaches will be able to access the best available coaching resources to help them grow their professional skillsets.
“On behalf of the BHA Coaching Team, I'm excited to be partnering with Eaglehawk UFS. Their support will help strengthen our training programs in pursuit of aquatic excellence." Tyson Jelbart, Senior Coach BHA.
Great achievements at Kyabram Meet
4th December 2022 by the Team Manager
Big thanks to Kyabram Swimming Club for a great meet in Echuca today! The Hawks continue to fly high building great
momentum towards a number of Championship meets coming up in 2023 along with our annual Summer Meet on January 8th.
Altogether
our Hawks scored:
Cyclescape show their true colours
2nd December 2022 by the President
Our Support Partner, Cyclescape Bendigo have shown their true colours.... and they're Navy Blue and Gold!!
Earlier this week one of our Young Hawks had her much loved mountain bike stolen from the pool while in the water training. At Bendigo Hawks Aquatic we are incredibly fortunate to not just have a hugely talented squad of swimmers but also a caring committee and an amazing team of support partners. Together they have joined forces to get our Young Hawk back on her bike!
A huge thank you to everyone and particularly to Ben Wildman, Store Manager at Cyclescape Bendigo and Jake Thrum, Centre Manager at Faith Leech Aquatic Centre for their wonderful and generous support.
Over the next week or so we will create a space at FLAC where bikes can be safely stored during training. It's timely to remind everyone to make sure your valuables such as bags, phones, wallets etc are stored securely when you're in the pool. Look after each other, watch your stuff and your teammates stuff and report to the Lifeguards if you see something not quite right.
News from the Nest - November
2nd December 2022 by the President
November has flown! Summer has landed and the Hawks are flying high! It's been a busy month of racing and what we are beginning to witness is the outcome of a great block of training by our swimmers. For the month of November collectively we have seen over 100 PBs highlighted by a successful meet last weekend at Wangaratta.
One of the areas we have been focusing on in recent times, in addition to some great swimming, has been building our presence within our community while creating social media content to engage a bigger audience and grow our member base. Here's some interesting insights:
We've also partnered with Faith Leech Aquatic Centre to establish the FLAC Lap Legends, a swimming movement to get more people experiencing the well-being benefits of swimming.
Finally, November was also a special moment in our history with the announcement of a major sponsor for the next two years. We are thrilled to welcome Leisure Pools Bendigo onboard and incedidibly excited to partner with them as we continue to fly higher.
Until next month....Remember hawks fly higher.
Hawks fire up in Wang
28th November 2022 by the President
A big thank you to the Wangaratta Amateur Swimming Club and Wodonga City Swimming Club for what is always an outstanding couple of days swimming in Wangaratta! It’s going to be a sensational edition of the Victorian LC Country Championships in January 2023 at one of the best facilities in Regional Australia!
Congratulations to our Mighty Hawks who are continuing to fly higher every week!
A final thanks to our Coaches Vanessa and Jack who supported our swimmers this weekend, Team Manager Karen who keeps everyone organised and fired up and our parents and families who volunteered as time keepers.
News from the Nest - October
30th October 2022 by the President
Another month of great progress as the Hawks returned to Faith Leech Aquatic Centre. A very busy month both in the pool and out has been somewhat overshadowed by recent flooding events that have impacted so many around our community, including members of our club. As always we will continue to be there for our friends and swimming colleagues in the months ahead.
We have continued to welcome new partners to the Hawks Nest. This month we welcomed Cyclescape and Intersports Bicknells while extending our existing relationship with WIN TV. We also celebrated our long-term partnership with Empowering Eaglehawk, receiving a very generous $5,000 grant. Check out the video on the News page! Just click on the photo. The grant will be used to purchase two new marquees for our Annual Summer Meet.
Plenty of swimming was to be had also with Bendigo Hawks Aquatic well represented at a number of meets both regionally and also in Melbourne. Be sure to catch up on all the results in the News feed on both our website and Facebook pages. October also saw the launch of our new squad program. I’d like to acknowledge the work of our Coaching Team (Carla, Vanessa, Jack & Tyson) along with Team Manager Karen Pascoe for their work in both designing, implementing and supporting our families and swimmers with the change. We are incredibly confident our new squad program will not only help in nurturing aquatic excellence and help develop courageous competitors, it will also see all our Hawks Fly Higher toward their swimming goals.
Finally, congratulations to our Young Hawks and Coach Tyson who will be representing District 15 at the SV Country Junior District Competition at MSAC on November 5th. The District 15 Representative team comprises twenty-five swimmers from across Central Victoria with this year's Rep Squad including nine Hawks showcasing the emerging competitive strength of our club.
Until next month remember... Hawks Fly Higher!
Big finish to the Ballarat Top 5 Series
23rd October 2022 by the Team Manager
What a great day had at the Ballarat Top 5 Meet 4 yesterday, thanks to Ballarat Swimming Club for a great Series of swimming. Our Hawks swimmers showed a steely resolve for the entire day and did our club very proud! They day and the Series produced some fantastic results for our squad.
Sixteen new PBs:
Fifteen podium placings:
Overall placings from the Series:
As well as these great achievements at the Meet and the Series, Jenna C picked up a State Sprint time for 50 Free, Georgia P got LC Country times for 100 Back and 100 Fly while Hamish K and Jemma C represented the Hawks in the Skins event. A very big thank-you to Coach Vanessa and Team Manager Karen (ed) for supporting a super day of swimming in Ballarat!
Nine Hawks in Rep Squad
20th October 2022 by the Team Manager
Congratulations to our Young Hawks who have been selected to represent Central Victoria Swimming at
the 2022 Swimming Victoria Country Junior District Competition to be held at the Melbourne Sports and
Aquatic Centre in Albert Park on Saturday 5th November.
The Bendigo Hawks Aquatic representatives are Lucy P, Bailey S, Luella W, Jack H, Adele Y, Evie W, Morgan W, Reece P and Ruby H.
That's 38% of the squad!
In addition to a strong contingent of Young Hawks, Coach Tyson has been selected as the District Coach!! It’s incredibly exciting to have nine Hawks making up the 25 strong District team and shows the momentum of our club in nurturing aquatic excellence in the junior age profile. Well done to our entire coaching team Carla, Jack, Vanessa & Tyson on this achievement also.
WIN Bendigo commits as our Official Media Partner
19th October 2022 by the President
Bendigo Hawks Aquatic would like thank WIN Bendigo for their support of our club as our official media partner.
We're super excited to start working on the production of a “Hawks Fly Higher” commercial to help encourage and activate more opportunities for our community to love swimming as much as we do! Keep an eye on your TV screens in the coming months and be sure to stay dialled into WIN!
Welcome to Intersport Bicknells
14th October 2022 by the President
Bendigo Hawks Aquatic is excited to announce that the Bendigo sports institution INTERSPORT Bicknells has landed in the Nest as the sponsor of our annual Club Champion trophies.
In addition to a trophy, our annual male and female Club Champions will also receive an INTERSPORT Bicknells Gift Card to support their swimming and fitness ambitions! A big THANK YOU to all the team at Bicknells Bendigo for their support of swimming and the Hawks Nest.
Thanks Empowering Eaglehawk!!
10th October 2022 by the Secretary
Tonight, we were presented with a cheque for $5000.00 courtesy of our great and long-time supporters,
Empowering Eaglehawk.
President Adam Webb explained, "The money will be used for a much-needed upgrade
to the shade tents we use to protect our swimmers from the hot sun across the summer swimming season. They'll
also be used to protect the time-keepers at the Faith Leech Aquatic Centre at our Bendigo Summer Meet.
That way, even more people in the Victorian swimming community will be able to benefit from the generosity of
Empowering Eaglehawk".
Pictured with some of the young Hawks stars of the future and their coaches Vanessa Laidlaw and Carla Dullard is the president of Empowering Eaglehawk, Mitchell Graham, The Borough Club representative, Suzanne Fitzpatrick, Junior Rep, Shae Hines and president of the Bendigo Hawks Aquatic, Adam Webb.
If you're a member of the 3556 Community, like we have been since 1966, visit the Empowering Eaglehawk website to find out how to apply for a grant and share in the more than $1,000,000 already donated to local organisations.
Hawks Fly at Firbank
9th October 2022 by the Team Manager
Well done to our high flying Hawks with plenty of impressive results today at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre and thanks to the Firbank Aquastars club for putting on a great Swim Meet.
Led by Coach Tyson, dozens of new PBs we set by our super-strong team who competed including:
That's 35 new PB's!!! Zali C won a Gold Medal in the Girls 10/under Breaststroke while Bailey S is bringing home a Bronze Medal from the Boys 10/Under Freestyle event. To underline such a great day, these swimmers gained or strengthened their Country LC and State Sprint Qualifying times.... Hamish K, Josie S, Riley S, Ruby C, Charli Mc, Lucy P, Xav S, Bailey S, Jack H, Zali C and Evie W.
The summer swimming season is off to a great start with plenty more to come!
Welcome to our new supporter - Cyclescape
6th October 2022 by the President
Bendigo Hawks Aquatic Swimming Club is thrilled to welcome Cyclescape to the Hawks Nest as a support partner for the next 18 months.
A bike shop that’s been doing things a little different since 2012 you'll feel right at home in the shop whether you're a beginner rider, experienced cyclist, triathlete or just love riding a bike!
You'll find them in two different locations - St Andrew's Avenue in Bendigo and on Sturt Street, Ballarat.
They carry a full range of Trek Bikes, which includes road bikes, mountain bikes, city bikes and kids bikes. They also have a complete line-up of Bontrager accessories, so you can get kitted out before your next two-wheeled adventure!
A warm welcome to the Cyclescape Team to the Hawks Nest! #HawksFlyHigher
The Faith Leech Story
1st October 2022 by the Secretary
As we return to Faith Leech Aquatic Centre for the summer season, some of our new Hawks might be curious about who Faith Leech was. As you walk into the Centre take a moment to read the incredible story of her Olympic achievements recounted on the wall and check out Faith’s Olympic medals that are on proud display!
Faith was born on March 31, 1941 in Bendigo, the second child of Johnstone and Jessie Leech. She was a "delicate child" who born with a double curvature of the spine. Faith’s mother had competed in swimming and thought it might be good for her daughter’s health. So, at the age of six, Faith was taken to swimming lessons during a family holiday on the Mornington Peninsula.
Her first coach was Gus Froelich, a former European swimming champion. Faith improved under his guidance and set a State record for the Under 8, 25 yards freestyle when she clocked 17.5 seconds. Gus was not an advocate of distance swimming, so he designed shorter workouts for his students and Faith swam only three kilometres a day. He focused on technique, which saw Faith develop a long graceful arm action and led to her nickname ‘The Flying Fish’.
Living in Bendigo meant that Faith only travelled three times a year to train with Gus, instead relying on dry-land exercises and pulleys. After she swam an unofficial Under 12 World Record for the 110 yards Freestyle in 1:07.20, Faith’s parents moved to an apartment in Melbourne so she could train with Gus on a more regular basis. At the age of 13, she won her first Australian 110 yard Freestyle Championship. At 14 she won the Australian 110 yard and the 220 yard Freestyle Championships. She was selected to represent Australia at the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games and continued training with Gus in Melbourne while the rest of the squad went to a camp in Townsville.
At the Olympics Games, Faith combined with Dawn Fraser, Lorraine Crapp and Sandra Morgan to win the 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay, making her Bendigo’s first Olympic medallist and, to this day, the City’s only Olympic gold medallist. She won bronze in the 100m Freestyle, completing a trifecta for Australia in the event with Fraser finishing first and Crapp finishing second.
Faith retired from competitive swimming after the Olympics at the age of 15. She worked in Melbourne as a model before returning to Bendigo to help run the family business, JM Leech Jewellers.
In Bendigo, Faith taught swimming to disabled children, some of whom represented Australia at the Special Olympics. She was passionate about the development of young people and was committed to seeing them thrive both in and out of the pool - this is a cornerstone value of our Club today. When the Olympic Torch for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games came through Bendigo, Faith proudly carried it through her home town.
Faith passed away on September 14, 2013 at the age of 72.
News from the Nest
1st October 2022 by the President
It’s been a productive month post the AGM with several initiatives taking flight as the Hawks look to fly higher in season 2022/23. It’s been terrific to see the traction that our new motto and club values has gained, I look forward to continuing to see them integrate into club culture as we start to shape a plan to grow the nest over the next few years.
Congratulations to Jemma Cole on being selected onto the State team. It’s an outstanding achievement and it’s terrific to see a Hawk on the team, well done Jemma! Additionally, well done to Jack Hocking on being our first Hawk of the Month as voted by our coaching team.
Monday sees the Hawks land at FLAC for the summer season of swimming. On behalf of the Club, I extend my thanks to the team at PKLC for their hospitality and support of our program during the winter months. It’s been another successful winter season at PKLC.
The Hawks Store officially opened in September in partnership with our new apparel supplier, Breach Apparel. The new range of Hawks clothing and gear looks outstanding and we now have the ability to have our members, families and swimmers purchase direct.
Noticed our website recently? It's had a makeover along with a content refresh which will assist in providing a useful and informative platform for promoting our Club and our swimming partners. Be sure to check it out at www.bendigohawks.com.au.
Last month we welcomed three new businesses to the Hawk's nest - GeoCommodities, Annex Wealth and Bendigo Heritage Attractions - as support partners while our long-time supporter, The Rising Sun Hotel, committed to backing the Hawks for a further 18 months. Work continues to attract and secure like-minded organisations and businesses who share our club's motto and values and we have some more exciting announcements not far away.
Our coaching team has been spending time together creating a team charter to help in accelerating the BHA coaching program and better leverage our team-based coaching model. I would like to acknowledge the work that Carla, Vanessa, Jack and Tyson have put in and we should all be excited to see it come to life in the months ahead. In addition, our coaching team has been busy putting the finishing touches on our summer program which includes enhancements to our squad structures. As part of our initial two week return to FLAC our coaching team will be engaging with our families and swimmers on our summer program and enhanced squad structures.
Competition-wise, we had seven swimmers along with Coach Carla attended the Top 5 meet at Ballarat on September 10th. All swimmers registered achievements through podium places and new PBs. A full summary can be found on the BHA Swimmers and Families Facebook group or on the Meet Mobile app.
Finally, I also had the opportunity to meet with both Bendigo East and Kangaroo Flat Presidents along with the City of Greater Bendigo to discuss swimming in Bendigo and how we can support the growth of the sport within the region together. Both clubs and CoGB are keen to work together in helping shape a proposal to bring Country Championships back to Bendigo in 2024 and 2025, this is now sitting with D15 for further discussion and is incredibly exciting given the opportunities that will be present to promote our sport in the lead up to the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Until next month remember... Hawks Fly Higher!
Welcome to our new supporter - Bendigo Heritage Attractions
30th September 2022 by the President
Bendigo Hawks Aquatic is excited to partner with Bendigo Heritage Attractions for the next 18 months as we look to make Bendigo a favourite destination for the Victorian swimming community.
Visiting swimmers and their families will be able to take in the amazing and unique experiences that Bendigo Heritage Attractions has to offer, at very special rates... before lighting up the pool on race day at one of our excellent Hawks swim meets!
Hawks Fly Higher... in Netball
29th September 2022 from the Bendigo Advertiser
Up and coming young swimming stars Ruby Cullen and Georgia Pascoe have taken out awards at this year's Awards Ceremony at the Calivil United Football Netball Club.
Ruby won the Club's "Most Disciplined" award in the 13/under age group while Georgia took home the "Coaches Award" in the same age group. Georgia's Mum, and Hawks Team Manager, Karen, won the Club's "Best Club Person" award in her role as Calivil's A-grade netball team co-Coach.
Congratulations, girls, on such a fine season.
Order your Hawks apparel online!
20th September 2022 by the President
We've partnered with local firm Breach Apparel to bring you an exciting range of Bendigo Hawks squad apparel for the new season. Together we've created a custom built Bendigo Hawks online shop where you'll be able to choose from a great selection of products including Polos, Hoodies, Shorts, T-Shirts, Deck coats, caps and hats.
Breach Apparel is a great choice as our supplier of Club apparel because they're a Bendigo business, they have a large range of quality items to choose from, ordering is easy and they'll provide you with a fast turn-around.
Thanks to Sian Knight, our Uniforms Officer, for building the relationship with Breach Apparel and getting the Online Shop up and running. Have a look at the Bendigo Hawks shop and get your order in today! You can send an email to Sian if you'd like more information.
Back to FLAC
9th September 2022 by the Secretary
All squads of the Bendigo Hawks will return to Faith Leech Aquatic Centre (FLAC) on Monday 3 October 2022 (the first week of Term 4). Our last training session at Peter Krenz Leisure Centre (PKLC) will be on Friday 30 September. If you have a membership with Peter Krenz Leisure Centre (PKLC) and wish to cancel it you must provide them with 2 weeks' notice and cancel via one of the following:
If cancelling memberships, please do so by Friday 16 September to allow for the two weeks' notice.
Further details regarding the FLAC training timetable and FLAC memberships will be released towards the end of September.
2022 Bendigo Hawks Winter Series
24th April 2022 by the President
The dates for the 2022 Bendigo Hawks Winter Series are locked in and published on the SV website,
the CVS website and Swim Central.
This year we are expecting a COVID-free run at our famous and popular three-meet Series. The committee
has achieved great things in very trying circumstances over the last two seasons. We're expecting to make
make it all the way through to the trophy and award presentations after the conclusion of Round 3 on Sunday
September 4th.
The dates to lock into your calendar are:
Enter via Swim Central once you've had a discussion with your coach about which events you should target.
Maryborough Swim Meet report
6th February 2022 by the President
Following a late decision by the Goldfields Shire Council to close the Maryborough swimming pool for repairs during the height of the competitive swimming season, the Maryborough Swimming Club were left without a venue to run their annual swim meet. The Central Victoria Swimming district had also yet to set a date and a venue at which to run the important SV Country All Junior Qualifying Meet. The Hawks committee and members saw an opportunity to help Maryborough run their Meet and also help the swimmers of the District get their qualifying times for All Juniors.
Working with Maryborough committee, we set up the Meet, set up the venue (Faith Leech Aquatic Centre) and provided much of the man-power to run the Meet. The District provided the officials for the day. The Meet ran to the usual Maryborough program with all 50m events being All Junior Qualifying swims. With everyone working together, the Meet was a huge success. More than 170 swimmers entered the Meet which made for a busy but fun day for everyone. Once again, it all ran like clock-work with the last Relay finishing just after 2:00pm.
Congratulations and a big thank you to the entire Hawks team for making this day possible and a great success as well. That's the calibre of Hawks people on show again!
Summer Meet Wrap
14th January 2022 from the Bendigo Advertiser
Bendigo Hawks Aquatic celebrated their 10th anniversary in style with 200 swimmers participating in the 2022 Bendigo Summer Meet at Faith Leech Aquatic Centre on Sunday. Bendigo Hawks President Frances Andrews said that it was fantastic to have swimmers from over 20 clubs across Victoria come to Bendigo. “We had swimmers travel from as far away as Warrnambool, Horsham, Swan Hill, Seymour, Mansfield and Melton, plus a large contingent of swimmers from right here in Bendigo,” Frances said. “It is so great to see community sport back particularly for our younger generation.”
It has been ten years since two of Bendigo’s oldest swimming clubs, Bendigo Swimming Club and Eaglehawk Swimming Club, merged to become Bendigo Hawks Aquatic. “Bendigo Swimming Club and Eaglehawk Swimming Club had 150 years of existence between them. The Bendigo Summer Meet on Sunday celebrated the past and the present for the Bendigo Hawks and we look forward to many more years of helping all individuals reach their full potential in the pool.”
The merger allowed the Bendigo Hawks to utilise two training facilities throughout the year. “In winter, the club trains indoors at the Peter Krenz Leisure Centre in Eaglehawk and then we use the Faith Leech Aquatic Centre (FLAC)in the warmer months. Training at FLAC is very inspiring to the younger generation as they walk in the door and see a large mural of Faith on the wall.” Faith originated from Bendigo and went on to win a gold medal in the 4×100–metre freestyle relay and bronze in the 100-metre freestyle at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne.
“Our club proudly caters for swimmers of all abilities, with all different sorts of goals. It is inspirational to our members to see what can be achieved through dedication, commitment and hard work,” Frances said. “Our coaches have the skills to be able to take a swimmer from those just transitioning from swim schools all the way to competitive success.”
The 2022 Bendigo Summer Meet was supported by local businesses Empowering Eaglehawk, Rising Sun Hotel, Bridgewater Bakehouse, Eaglehawk UFS Dispensary, Brew 2 U Coffee Roasters, Bakers Delight and Officeworks.
Bendigo Hawks Aquatic are hosting ‘come and try’ nights every Wednesday night for the months of January and February at Faith Leech Aquatic Centre. For more information please contact Amanda Reddick, Team Manager, by email teammgr@bendigohawks.com.au or visit www.bendigohawks.com.au.
Thanks to our sponsors and the Faith Leech Aquatic Centre team for their great support.
The 2022 Bendigo Summer Meet - Meet Program
5th January 2022 by the Competitions Officer
The Meet Program booklet and the Meet timeline are available for you to download. With almost 200 swimmers from more than 20 Clubs we're looking forward to very big and successful day for all swimmers, their coaches and their families. Thanks to our sponsors and the Faith Leech Aquatic Centre team for their great support.
2021 Bendigo Hawks Winter Series Round 2 is ON!!
29th July 2021 by the Competitions Officer
I'm really pleased to advise that this Sunday's 2021 Bendigo Hawks Winter Series - Round 2 will be running at the Gurri Wanyarra Wellbeing Centre in Kangaroo Flat!!!
In order for it run in a COVIDSafe way,and within the guidelines advised by the Victorian Government on Tuesday morning, there will be some things we ask you to do. We think they're not too onerous if it means our kids get what has become a very rare chance to swim in competition. We're very grateful to the management and staff of Gurri Wanyarra for working with us to make the Meet possible.
While all swimmers 11/under MUST be accompanied by a parent/guardian, swimmers12/over MUST NOT be accompanied by a parent/guardian. For 12/over swimmers, only the swimmer will be permitted entry to the venue. This is necessary to ensure that we remain below the government mandated people levels for the venue. We all love to watch our kids swim but in these difficult times we should remember that the most important thing is that the children get to swim. If we did not enforce this then there would be no swim meet. Of course, if you have a swimmer 12/over and a swimmer 11/under, you're in luck.
Parents who are time-keeping are counted as "officials required to make the competition happen" so will not be counted in the venue numbers. To allow more parents to see their children swim we will revert to an 8-lane competition. A time-keeping roster will be published in the Meet Program. We will be taking a 15-minute break after the Butterfly events to provide all officials with a chance to refresh before the second half of the Meet. During this period, Clubs may change over time-keepers but the departing time-keepers must leave the venue immediately. That is, one time-keeper out of the venue then the replacement time-keeper can come in. We will leave it in the hands of the Clubs to ensure the venue limits are not breached if they choose to swap time-keepers.
Good luck to all your children on the day. We hope it's successful for them. We're so happy to be able to run this Meet for you. See you on Sunday.
Bendigo Hawks Winter Series - Update
24th July 2021 by the Competitions Officer
With Victoria once again in Covid lockdown, Round 2 of the the Bendigo Hawks Winter Series is at risk of not being able to run. The Hawks committee advise that they will make a decision once the Victorian government have made an announcement about any restrictions that may impact the successful running of the Meet.
If the Meet is postponed or cancelled full refunds will be made available.
A delayed start but a huge success!
4th July 2021 by the Competitions Officer
After COVID-19 once again had a say in how the swimming year was going to run, we finally got the better of it today with a highly successful Meet being held at the Gurri Wanyarra Wellbeing Centre. The success can be attributed to the hard-working Hawks committee who were strongly supported by the parents of our swimmers, the Officials who came from near and far, the Gurri Wanyarra team and, of course, the 132 swimmers from 22 Victorian clubs.
The swimmers love this iconic Series that's been running for more than twenty years. It's designed to provide experienced swimmers with multiple opportunities to gain a qualifying time for important Meets later in the year while also providing novice swimmers with a chance to get started in competition in a serious but supportive way. Those young swimmers can build a lot of confidence as they see their times improve in quick succession from one Round to the next.
Twenty young Hawks competed on the day, some for the very first time. Except for our Club Captains, Riley and Tom, all our swimmers were under 12 years of age. Altogether the team achieved fifteen Personal Best times which is a fantastic achievement for such a young squad. Our coaches on the day, Carla and Jack, were really excited about our Club's prospects for the new season.
Full results from the Meet can also be found on the CVS Competitions Page page.
Bendigo Winter Series - New Dates
8th June 2021 by the Competitions Officer
In the face of the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak in Victoria, the committee of Bendigo Hawks Aquatic has changed the advertised dates for this season's Winter Series.
Aside from the date changes, every other aspect of the Series will remain unchanged.
Each Round of the Series will remain at the Gurri Wanyarra Wellbeing Centre in Bendigo.
Swimmers who have entered this week-end's Meet will be automatically entered into Round 1 on its new date. Swimmer who have already entered Round 2 and Round 3 will be automatically entered on the new dates.
The Hawks appreciate that this may not suit every swimmer. Any request for a refund received at hawksswimmeet@gmail.com before the new closing date for Round 1 (June 28th 2021), will be honoured.
