Des Renford
Encyclopedia
Desmond Robert Renford MBE (25 August 192730 December 1999) was an Australia
n long distance swimmer who swam the English Channel
19 times from 19 attempts. This is more successful crossings than any other Australian. From 1975-1979 and for a period in 1980 he held the title of King of the Channel
. At the time of his death, only two other people had swum the Channel more often, Alison Streeter
(38 times; more since then) and Mike Read (31).
. He took up marathon swimming only at the age of 39. His Channel crossings included three in 10 days in 1980. In 1977 he broke the record for swimming around Alcatraz Island
by 23 minutes.
He was a mentor of Susie Maroney
, and led her on her first Channel crossing when she was 15.
In the Queen's Birthday Honours of 12 June 1976, Renford was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire
(MBE).
He was a Papal knight of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre
(the letters OHS sometimes appear after his name). He was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1998.
He suffered three heart attacks and a stroke, and had undergone heart surgery. He had a fourth heart attack while swimming on 29 December 1999. He went into a coma
, was admitted to the Prince of Wales Hospital
in Sydney
, and died there the following evening. His wife Patie, whom he married in 1945, and their three sons were at his bedside when he died.
The former Heffron Park Pool was renamed in Des Renford's honour on 1 March 2000 as the Des Renford Aquatic Centre.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n long distance swimmer who swam the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
19 times from 19 attempts. This is more successful crossings than any other Australian. From 1975-1979 and for a period in 1980 he held the title of King of the Channel
King of the Channel (swimming)
The King of The Channel title is bestowed on the man who has successfully completed more swims of the English Channel than any other. The title as well the accompanied Letona Trophy is awarded by the Channel Swimming Association. The title is currently held by Kevin Murphy who has completed 34...
. At the time of his death, only two other people had swum the Channel more often, Alison Streeter
Alison Streeter
Alison Streeter MBE is a British long-distance swimmer. She has swum across the English Channel 43 times, more than anyone in the world and earning her the title of Queen of the English Channel. This total includes a triple-channel swim. She also completed seven Channel crossings in one year...
(38 times; more since then) and Mike Read (31).
Biography
Des Renford was born on the 52nd anniversary of the very first Channel swim, achieved in 1875 by Matthew WebbMatthew Webb
Captain Matthew Webb was the first recorded person to swim the English Channel without the use of artificial aids. On 25 August 1875 he swam from Dover to Calais in less than 22 hours.-Early life and career:...
. He took up marathon swimming only at the age of 39. His Channel crossings included three in 10 days in 1980. In 1977 he broke the record for swimming around Alcatraz Island
Alcatraz Island
Alcatraz Island is an island located in the San Francisco Bay, offshore from San Francisco, California, United States. Often referred to as "The Rock" or simply "Traz", the small island was developed with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, a military prison, and a Federal...
by 23 minutes.
He was a mentor of Susie Maroney
Susie Maroney
Susan Jean "Susie" Maroney OAM is an Australian former marathon swimmer.-Swimming career:...
, and led her on her first Channel crossing when she was 15.
In the Queen's Birthday Honours of 12 June 1976, Renford was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(MBE).
He was a Papal knight of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre
Order of the Holy Sepulchre
The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem is a Roman Catholic order of knighthood under the protection of the pope. It traces its roots to Duke Godfrey of Bouillon, principal leader of the First Crusade...
(the letters OHS sometimes appear after his name). He was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1998.
He suffered three heart attacks and a stroke, and had undergone heart surgery. He had a fourth heart attack while swimming on 29 December 1999. He went into a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
, was admitted to the Prince of Wales Hospital
Prince of Wales Hospital
Prince of Wales Hospital is a major public and teaching hospital located in Sha Tin, New Territories in Hong Kong. The hospital is affiliated with the Medical Faculty of the Chinese University of Hong Kong....
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, and died there the following evening. His wife Patie, whom he married in 1945, and their three sons were at his bedside when he died.
The former Heffron Park Pool was renamed in Des Renford's honour on 1 March 2000 as the Des Renford Aquatic Centre.