The hard work of Tom Bermingham and Pat Higgins – along with Jimmy Long’s generosity in providing permission for the new awning and bench in Myrtleville – were marked today with a grand opening, Myrtleville-style!

Men at Work – hard labour for Tom and Pat: but always with a smile on their faces.

The Long family own the boathouse and Jimmy Long very kindly gave permission for the structure.  He was on hand to cut the ribbon, aided by elves!

When you only meet people in the water it’s hard to judge their talents in other areas, but we certainly have some talented musicians in our midst, who entertained us all this morning.  Maybe the band really should be reforming!!

Jimmy Long and Tom Bermingham gave great short speeches on what swimming in Myrtleville means to them and timely reminders about always swimming safely, no matter how experienced you are.  Jimmy was presented with a “thank-you” Christmas hamper for his generosity, including this cake for himself and his wife, Noreen.

There were others who helped out with the project as well, including Gary Frost providing his own sail for the covering!

It was a really enjoyable event this morning and a great start to the Christmas break.  Very well done to everyone involved.