Puffing Billy departs Belgrave daily .
Starting from the top , almost literally , we drove to Sky High on Mt Dandenong to look over the suburbs and the city where Jared grew up , where we met as teenagers , where we trained and where we started a family of our own .
We made a plan of how we could fit in as much as we could and headed back down the mountain for a few quick stops before booking into our accommodation .
The first stop was to visit our old swimming club in Nunawading where , just like my grandmother , we found old pictures of us on the wall . Jared as a cheeky kid , us as club captains back in 1997 , and myself in my Olympic prime . We shared stories , caught up with some old friends and reminisced about the times when life was all about swimming , training , high performance and elite competitions .
It was super special to reflect on our time as elite athletes , training 14 times a week in the senior squad and reaching goals together , as well as individually and as a team .
I loved seeing my quote on the walls of the gym : “ Be positive . Your time in the sun will come . Listen to your inner voice and continue to believe because dreams can come true .” I had tears of joy as I reflected on what I had achieved and how wonderful it was to represent Nunawading Swimming Club , where I ’ m honoured to be a life member .
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