Perth swimmer Andy Donaldson’s epic swim for Telethon returned in October after popular acclaim in 2023.
Andy’s quest included a 33km swim from Rottnest Island to Elizabeth Quay.
The first leg of Team Andy’s swim was 20km from Rottnest Island to Leighton Beach. For the second year running, the Fremantle Surf Lifesaving Club, Nippers and their family and friends made a striking guard of honour to welcome Andy at Leighton Beach.
His expedition included a 3km run with Western Australian Premier Roger Cook and former Fremantle Dockers legend David Mundy from Leighton Beach to Mosman Bay.
During the second leg of the swim from Mosman Bay to Elizabeth Quay, members of Team Andy jumped in the water, swam alongside him and cheered him on.
At Elizabeth Quay, a bagpiper on the bridge, a cheer squad on a boat, family, friends and spectators gathered on The Island to welcome Andy to the finish line.
Andy once again headed to the RAC Arena for the Channel 7 Telethon broadcast, including a stint in the phone room to present his cheque for $30,405 and further celebrations.
Proudly sponsored by the Perron Institute, Team Andy’s Swim for Telethon 2024 raised funds for Telethon and Youth Mental Health research at the Perron Institute. Youth Mental Health is a major focus for Andy and the Perron Institute as the Institute strives to develop personalised treatment options to improve medical outcomes for young people.
Youth mental illness is one of the most prevalent and devastating health burdens worldwide, and although there are numerous pharmacological treatments available, over half of adolescents and young adults treated for mental illness do not respond to current treatments.
Fresh out of the ocean on Sunday morning, Andy told The West Australian newspaper this trek was just a small contribution to the weekend’s efforts. “It felt like a bit of a washing machine,” he said. “But you know, when you’re doing it for a cause like Telethon and for the kids of WA you find that extra gear.”
“I love trying to help a good cause. The world’s a challenging place at the moment, things like mental health are widespread, and I want to just do my small part to help the cause.”
Andy is a four-time world record ultra-marathon swimmer from Scotland. Before his swim for Telethon, Andy had just returned to Perth after setting a new world record for the 20 Bridges Swim around Manhattan Island, New York. In July, he completed the Epic Swim Maui – a world-first 220km circumnavigation of Maui, Hawaii, that served as a powerful call to action for ocean health.
In July 2023, he made history by becoming the first person to complete the Oceans Seven, the world’s seven toughest channel swims, within one year. Andy was also the solo winner of the Rottnest Channel Swim in 2021.
This year, Team Andy announced a new partnership with the Rottnest Channel Swim Association (RCSA) and Swimming WA.
Thank you to our sponsors Patterson Constructions, Access Projects and Construction, and The Rechabite, and thank you also to Fremantle Ports, SeaLink Rottnest Island, CBRE Perth, Wild West Charters, City of Perth, volunteers and all involved.