Pat's got the 'Wright' stuff

MACKAY'S Pat Wright didn’t expect an award when she went to dinner at the Australian Swimming Coaches and Teachers Association convention.

Pat Wright of Pat Wright Swim School has been recognised for her outstanding contribution to Australian swimming as judged by her peers. Picture: Lee Constable

MACKAY'S Pat Wright didn't expect an award when she went to dinner at the Australian Swimming Coaches and Teachers Association convention at the Gold Coast - which is probably one of the reasons why she got one.

The popular swimming coach was awarded "the most outstanding contribution to Australian Swimming" as judged by her fellow coaches and teachers.

"It was very emotional... I couldn't imagine my peers thought that much of me to get an award like that," she said.

"To get the award for outstanding contribution to Australian swimming, not Queensland, not club, but Australian - it's the highest accolade I can get."

The unexpected announcement came at the dinner of the ASCTA conference at the Gold Coast and was the second validation Wright received that day.

Wright was in a session with former Australian head coach Bill Sweetenham earlier when he asked all the coaches, who was responsible for providing the most swimmers to Australian teams from the Learn to Swim program.

"Many names were put forward, Lawrie Lawrence and people like that, and then he asked me to stand up and asked the crowd had anyone been to see how I achieved it?" she said.

"It all added up to one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me."

The other great achievement Wright is proud of is "seeing the little children in the learn-to-swim pool lessons, when they cry and carry on; then the next thing you know they're older and doing their first 25-metre swim".

"It's very rewarding to have people come back and say I've known you since I was five years old and now you're teaching my grand-daughters."

"Those things to me mean so much, and no money can buy that sort of achievement, I believe that swimming is the greatest thing that has happened to me."

The president of Australian Swimming, Barclay Nettlefold, agreed and said to Wright at the conference, "passion like yours doesn't come very often, we should bottle it and send it out to everyone".

Originally published as Pat's got the 'Wright' stuff