News | Media Release
FROM 74 FLOODS TO 2011 FLOODS,
AN ICONIC IPSWICH FAMILY BUSINESS (McMAHON’s SWIM FACTORY) RISES AGAIN!
You can’t keep a good family down. Thirty-six years ago, at Martin Street, Ipswich the family business was devastated with rising flood waters gradually washing away the bottles and crates of a soft drink business but, with support from the Ipswich community and even competitors, McMahon’s Soft Drinks survived.
In 1974 Peter McMahon was a young married man who had just entered the family business and it was his drive, along with his brother Jim, which got the business back on its feet by relocating to a modern factory on the outskirts of Ipswich. The original factory at 1 Martin Street became the home of an indoor swim school where, during the past 19 years thousands of Ipswich children have learnt to swim. Water safety and the fun in water has been the top priority of this commercial building.
Now, 37 years later Peter has had to watch rising flood waters taking away another business on the original premises of McMahon’s Soft Drinks leaving behind a sea of mud and devastation. A cute little four year old pupil from the Swim Factory commented “I think the fish in the pools are the only ones having swim lessons”.
“SWIMMING IS BACK IN FULL SWING! THE BUILDING, POOL AND ALL FACILITIES ARE CLEAN AND READY FOR YOU TO COME BACK AND ENJOY!”
Peter's Trip To Egypt
Well I have just returned from Egypt where I competed in a swim event called Recue 2010, which is the Bi Annual World Surf Lifesaving Championships. It was held in Alexandra Egypt, which is on the Mediterranean Seas near where part of the famous Nile River enters the Mediterranean.
When I arrived on the Friday there was a one and a half metre wave which was most unexpected but by Monday it had dropped to a millpond. The water was very clean and very pleasantly warm. There were people from all parts of the world.
On the Sunday and Monday the real business of Masters Swimming got underway. I was successful in winning a gold medal in the 65 year+ Surface and a bronze medal in the 60 years+ Board Rescue with a good friend of mine Peter Fraser from my club at Alexandra Headlands.
After the success we travelled to Cairo where we shared the dust, heat and traffic with 17 million other people. Then we headed down to the Nile and spent 3 nights on a boat between Asween & Luxor. Then returning to reality of Ipswich and The Swim Factory. However I am off to Noosa this weekend to swim in the 1K Eyeline Swim on the Friday and Sunday 1.5K swim leg with 2 other friends as a team in Australia's biggest triathlon.
