At the club’s annual meeting and awards night at Riverside Golf Club, he said: “When we started at the club nearly seven years ago we could never have foreseen the life skills of hard work, comradeship, team work, discipline and then success that our swimmers have achieved.

“But the best thing for our senior swimmers is that they have become best friends.”

He paid tribute to the skill, dedication and enthusiasm of coach Matt Barwick.

“The committee is so very proud of Matt and everything he has done for our club and our swimmers,” Bonney said.

“Matt has taken a group of 12 year old kids and developed the most successful swim group per population in the state.

“He had eight swimmers from our senior squad at age nationals. He had one of the youngest male competitors at open nationals. He had eight swimmers chosen for the Pacific School Games team.

“There were four individual state swimming records broken and two relay records.

“He has swimmers in the top ten, and one swimmer ranked number one in the nation for his age.”

Bonney remains as president with Ted Cooper vice-president, Lisa Bonney secretary and Lee-Anne Edmunds registrar.

The club captains are St Patrick’s College students Georgia Davis, 16, of Legana, and Marcus Darko, 16, of Low Head.

Awards went to _ 9 and under champions: Erin Dunlop and Zinny Farmer; 10 years: Molly Farmer and Harrison Edmunds; 11 years: Brooke Berry; 12 years: Oliver Lovegrove; 13 years: Zane Hadley and Jessica Shaw; 14 years: Tom Sladden and Myra Donnelly; 15 and over: Jack Sladden and Emily Lonergan.

Personal best awards: Harrison Edmunds, Erin Dunlop and Molly Farmer; coach’s awards: Myra Donnelly, Kiaran Gillies; achiever award: Georgia Davis; male swimmer of the year: Will Bonney; female swimmer of the year: Emily Lonergan; club service award: Julie Sladden; president’s award: Robyn Campbell.

Outstanding performance certificates were presented to Emily Longeran, Jack Sladden, Tom Sladden, Georgia Davis, Jordan Cooper, Marcus Darko, Kiaran Gillies and overall winner Will Bonney.

A number of club night reccords fell in the past year. Thomas Sladden, 14, claimed Jordan Cooper's record in the 66m fly; Marcus Darko his coach Matt Barwick's 2005 record in the 200m free; Cooper, 15, took Jonathon Pugh's 1988 record in 66m breast and Will Bonney then went even faster in the same event. Myra Donnelly, 14, claimed Shani Burleigh's record in the 33m free and Emily Lonergan took Emily Scott-Power’s girls' 15 years 33m and 99m breaststroke records.

Aran Miller, 23, of South Esk, set a new Down Syndrome short course swimming world record at the South Esk spring meet in June in the 50m backstroke in a time of 35.96 seconds and a new national record in the 50m freestyle in a time of 30.77 seconds.

At the same meet, Stefanie McCarthy (Hobart Aquatic) broke the state girls’ 50m freestyle record with a time of 27 seconds and club mate Max Giuliani set a new state bench mark for 13-year-old boys in the 50m freestyle with 25.60 seconds.

July 15: Time trial, Burnie. Entries have closed.

July 29: Winter regional championships, Hobart. Entries close July 17.

July 30: Winter regional championships, Launceston. Entries close July 17.

August 12: Time trial, Hobart. Entries close August 7.

August 13: Time trial, Launceston. Entries close August 7.