Scott Gladman prior to his epic swim. Photo by Djanayah Jeffries.
Photo by
djanayah jeffries
When 64-year-old farmer Scott Gladman hauls himself out of the river, after 13km of swimming, he is thinking of his mates.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
The Manangatang farmer is about three weeks into a record-making attempt to swim the entire 1650km length of the Darling River.
The fundraising project will keep him going until almost Christmas.
He has been spurred on by the knowledge that he is raising money for research into motor neurone disease and Parkinson’s, both of which have struck down friends.
Seeking to complete what has been dubbed the Nutrien Ag Solutions Fight the Current swim, Mr Gladman set off on September 1.
When the Country News caught up with him, he was on his 20th day and enjoying a cold beer after completing the day’s 13km.
“It’s pretty clear, although people say it’s green with algae, but it’s not,” Mr Gladman said.
And the snags?
“I’ve got a bloke ahead of me in the boat and he will point them out to me. I just put my head down and go,” he said.
“In the first week was a lot of snags and we had to drag the boat over the logs or sand bars. In that first 100km from Brewarinna to Bourke, I probably walked only about a kilometre.
“I’m not much of a swimmer, about two weeks before I headed out I did about a couple of 8km swims in Lake Boga.
“I used to do a swim on holidays in South Australia and do about 2km along the beach.”
He said he was feeling pretty good so far, apart from a few aches and pains in the shoulders.
“If you know about the families and the battles they face, it keeps you going. It’s only three and half months for me and maybe I can make a change.”
Mr Gladman and the four support crew stay in caravans or in huts at the stations along the way.
Mr Gladman grew up in Serpentine and is now managing a cereal farm near Manangatang.
16°C