Gallant Cook Strait Swim

All Gisborne....indeed all New Zealand....listened to the radio with bated breath on a recent Saturday when local boy Bill Penny (now of Wellington) made his almost-successful bid to swim Cook Strait, For several hours it seemed a foregone conclusion that he would make it, so splendid was his progress. But when almost across, fate and the wily waters of the strait took a hand and a strong rip near the South Island shore carried him back and wrote finis to a gallant try.

Bill has announced his intention to make another attempt, and when he does he will have the good wishes of all his old friends here, and of the city and district generally.

Instead of printing pictures of Bill's epic swim (which have been very widely published), we have gathered together a few snaps of him as Gisborne knew him.

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Reel-man at a surf carnival of Waikanae Beach a couple of, years ago.

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Billeted at Palmerston North for a swimming carnival, Bill does the main street with his host.

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A picture taken when he won the intermediate swimming championship at Gisborne High School. He was a prefect at the school for two years.

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With a happy group at a swimming carnival.

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With some of his school-day swimming friends. In front, Mark Pickett, Dennis Surridge, Bill Penny. At rear, Dick Glover and Roger McLean.