“It was a fabulous turnout, probably one of our biggest in many years,” swim club president Melina Caldwell said. 

The carnival attracted plenty of visiting swimmers, all vying for qualifying times in the upcoming Ulladulla regional meet. 

“Kids who need a qualifying time come and use it as an opportunity to get that time,” Caldwell said. 

“We had a whole family from Wollongong.

“There were swimmers from West Illawarra and the Bay and Basin area.”

The meet also attracted scores of swimmers from Bega, Narooma, Pambula and Cooma. 

“It was great to see families travelling from afar to take part.”

Meanwhile, the host club had a squad of almost 20 take part on the day. 

A regular highlight for visitors and an annual tribute is the Kirby Dunne memorial splash. 

Organisers said it brings out the real pace in swimmers as juniors compete for a $175 prize in both boys and girls divisions. 

“It’s a thrill for the kids, it’s definitely a big highlight of the day,” Caldwell said.

Despite the strong number of visitors, Eden qualified in the finals in both divisions, but the prize ultimately went to swimmers from afar. 

Caldwell said the fast-paced sprint is to honour Kirby and has been strongly supported by local families. 

“Four local families sponsor the event and Kirby’s mum and dad Julie and Russell present the prize each year,” she said. 

John and Anne Pelling, Peter and Jenny Grant, Brett and Liz Osborn and Errol and Julianne McGovern all back the event each year, which is swiftly growing. 

The memorial swim made up just one of over 80 events hosted on Saturday, but Caldwell said things ran fairly smoothly. 

“Everyone gets in and helps out where they can.”

She was also delighted by the community support of the carnival, with Eden Motor Group and Lyon Group Australia signing on as major sponsors. 

A number of other local businesses also threw their support behind the day.

“We had the biggest turnout in event sponsorship ever,” Caldwell said. 

“Their backing actually covered the cost of all the medals on the day, which has never happened before.

“Thank you to everyone who sponsored and  helped out in the lead up and on the day.”

With an impressive number of races hosted on the day, the times were solid, too. 

This year the Eden club alone will send five swimmers to the regional carnival in Ulladulla. 

Georgia and Jack Caldwell, Holly and Sophie Switzer and Zak Kelly will all take on the competition over the weekend. 

Caldwell said Zak also qualified for the NSW country championships, which will be held later this month, alongside Georgia. 

“It will be Zak’s first county experience,” she said. 

Caldwell said she was delighted to see the swimmers doing so well and was excited by growing numbers within the club. 

“It’s one of the biggest years we’ve had in terms of membership,” she said. 

“It’s great to see the kids getting out and having a go and getting out of their comfort zone.”