Anyone who knows Margaret Clougher knows she loves the water.

It’s why her neighbours no longer greet her with a standard “hello” when they bump into her — instead, they ask a simple question: “Are you still swimming?”.

The answer, she says, is always a resounding yes.

At 93 years of age, Mrs Clougher is the oldest Tasmanian taking part in the Masters Swimming National Championships underway in Hobart.

In her heat of the 50-metre freestyle on Saturday she will battle it out against the others in the 90-94 age bracket.

“I don’t expect to place,” she said.

“I’m just here for my enjoyment. I just love it. I love to swim.”

Mrs Clougher’s love for the water began as a child spending hours in the creek near her home in New South Wales and it has remained a key part of her routine ever since. 

To this day she still regularly takes a morning dip in the ocean, and in previous years pushed herself in long-distance swimming.

She estimates she’s been participating in events for more than three decades. 

However, she knows she couldn’t have kept it up on her own — crediting her family and her local swimming club with keeping her in the water, by supporting her out of it. 

“They’ve been amazing,” Ms Clougher said. “I recently lost my licence and I told the president, ‘you know, I’ll be coming by taxi, I won’t be coming every week’.

“And they went ‘no no, we’ll arrange it.”

“They’re lovely,” she said. “And it’s not just [for] me. It’s everybody. It makes you feel good.”

Hobart Dolphins vice president Annaliese Cousins said it had been a no-brainer to step in and assist when they heard Mrs Clougher was facing hurdles getting her sessions.

“The ethos of our club is friendship,” she said.

“There’s a lot of levels in there — there’s recreational swimmers, there’s competitive swimmers but at the end of it, we are all just one big, really happy team looking out for each other.”

Mrs Cousins said it was also a clear demonstration of the importance of staying fit and socially connected.

“For all of us, swimming — and turning up for training and being with our friends — is critical to our physical and mental health,” she said. 

“We’re conditioned to compete, we love to train — and we have that huge friendship base in the club as well.”

Fun, fitness and friendship the motto

Meet director Philip Tyrell echoed Ms Cousins’ sentiments, describing the Masters Swimming Australia motto of “fitness, friendship and fun” as more than just words.

He said about 10 people competed in the 90-94 age bracket.

That factor and there being no qualifying heats were what made the event so special.

“The biggest cheers that go up at an event like this is for those competitors because everyone recognises everything they’ve put into their career as a swimmer, and celebrates it,” Mr Tyrell said.

He said occasionally, the goal could even be setting a world record.

“When a 94 year old jumps in the pool and sets a world record … the level of pride just goes through the roof.”

Years of swimming ahead

While Mrs Clougher might not have any world record ambitions, she does have a goal of swimming for years to come, the memory from a national competition years ago a constant motivator.

“We were all together at [a world championship] in Brisbane, and there was a woman of 100, and her daughter — she was probably in her 80s — walking alongside her and going ‘come one mum, come on mum!’.

“We were only in our 60s and saying ‘we’re going to do that’. And here I am.”

Next year will come with the chance to get an edge on her competitors, with her birthday bumping her up into the next age category.

“I’ll be young in my age group,  I’ll be in 95 to 100,” Mrs Clougher said with a grin.

“It’s the only sport where you look forward to your birthday.”

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