Julie & Greg Bott – Going Along Swimmingly
Julie Bott, our hard working MSQ Treasurer, is celebrating her 40th anniversary with husband Greg Bott. Congratulations Julie and Greg! Thank you for sharing your swimming story.
Greg and Julie met at a Uni Social function in Brisbane when Greg was in his third year of Engineering studies and Julie was in her first year of a Business degree majoring in Communications. Starting out as good friends and then progressing to dates and romance, they married five years later and are celebrating their 40th Wedding anniversary this July 4th – American Independence Day!!
Swimming has always been a significant part of their sporting lives – both representing their schools in high school years and continuing into their uni days as a way to keep fit and healthy. They moved to Boyne island, just south of Gladstone four weeks before the birth of their first child, Tim so that Greg could take up an engineering position with the Boyne Island Aluminium smelter.
During their years at Boyne Island, and with the addition of two more babies, Jon and Thea, they regularly drove 25ks to Gladstone, taking turns playing with their children in the tots’ pool whilst the other swam laps in the main pool. Four and a half years later, they returned to live in Albany Creek in Brisbane and established an electrical engineering business which they ran together for twenty-six years.
Regular swimming opportunities seemed to pause during the busy time in their lives which centred around raising a young family and running a demanding engineering business, so it wasn’t until about 18 years ago that they started to regularly swim again at their local Albany Ck pool. It was at this time that they were approached by the then President of the Masters Swimming Club, Russell Wicks to join the Albany Creek club. Lots of fun time, in and out of the pool have been enjoyed with the mighty ducks.
On a swimming stage, Greg and Julie’s first major swim meet was the World Master Games in 2008 where they both competed and they have enjoyed numerous local, state, national and international meets over the past 18 years.
Following the sale of their Brisbane engineering business in 2015, Greg started working full time for Unity Water on the Sunshine Coast, precipitating the permanent move into their holiday home at Coolum. Realising that they needed to join a coastal Masters club, provided them with the opportunity to meet the friendly, social, and enthusiastic members of the Noosa Masters Swim Club.
In the past four years, prior to Covid, they were delighted to discover weeklong overseas swim trecks and travelled with friends to the Greek islands on two occasions and the Maldives as well. They have moved their 2020 Santorini swim forward to 2022 and look forward to this and more overseas swims when travel restrictions ease.
They find it impossible to imagine what their lives would be like now without the fun, fitness and friendships they have made over the past 18 years. They both enjoy giving back as volunteers at a club and state level, to the organisation which has provided and hopefully will continue to provide them with so many opportunities, adventures and cherished memories.
