January 28, 2025 • 25 mins
Jaime talks about what it takes to be an ambassador for Busselton Jetty Swim, what it means and how you do it.
My favourite quote of the episode is "I think that, engaging with the swimmers and the families, the participants down there, hopefully providing something positive to them and inspiring and motivating. And not everyone has the swim they wanna have. There are gonna be ups and downs and people who are disappointed about how they went, but it's also, you know what, we don't always have the race and swim we wanna do. So it's like, what are you gonna do with it? Do you know? Do you wanna just leave it there? Well, do we want to use it again? Doesn't mean this defines you. We can just choose more goals, and you learn from it. Say you got pushed under at the start and you couldn't get your bearing and then you fell off, whether. someone slower beat you. That's okay. That's okay. That's why I think some people get quite upset about that. And that's all part of the learning when we do these swimmings and our challenges. You can't just expect to have highs and good things all the time because otherwise it's not challenging. Yeah, it's not challenging if everything went perfect every time we did it. We need something hard and difficult so it makes you want to come back, makes you want to get fitter and stronger, makes you want to practice in the ocean more for next time. Because you learned the way you did it that way didn't work this year, so I'm going to try something different next year."
Link: busseltonjettyswim.org.au
In 2025 Busselton Jetty Swim is on Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th February, that's 10 days after this episode is released. Check https://busseltonjettyswim.org.au for how you can get involved this year or next.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:05):
Welcome to Forrest.Chat,where we talk about individual
endeavour in Western Australia.
What it takes, what itmeans, and how you do it.
I'm your host, Paul van der Mey, andin today's episode, we're talking
with jaime Bowler about being anambassador for Busselton Jetty Swim.
Jamie started open water swimmingat around 15, has done nine solo
(00:30):
Rottnest Channel swims and multipleteam relay swims in that Rottnest
Channel swim, and has done theBusselton Jetty Swim nine times.
Having some success at the BusseltonJetty Swim, Jamie was asked to become
an ambassador for the event in 2024.
Welcome to Forrest.Chat, Jamie.
(00:51):
Thank you, Paul for having me.
I look forward to being on Forrest.Chat.
Thanks very much, Jamie.
It's great to have you here.
Jamie, what is the Busselton Jetty Swim?
The Busselton Jetty Swim is a,well it's down in Busselton, it's a
swim that you swim along the jetty,which is, very iconic, in Perth.
It's about 1.
(01:12):
6 kilometers long, so you swim down aroundthe jetty and you swim back into shore.
So the total distance is about 3.
6 kilometers.
it's usually first or secondweekend, in February every year,
and it's quite difficult to getinto, due to its popularity.
It's one of the largest openwater swims in the world.
One of the largest in the world.
(01:32):
Yeah, so you usually have to gothrough, like, a ballot system when
it comes on in October, Novemberevery year, and then just cross your
fingers, you hope that you get in.
Like, a few friends who didn't getin, and give me a call and say,
have you got any strings that youcould do to get me into the swim?
I'm like, I don't haveanything just as much as me.
Yeah.
Wow.
So that's really impressive thatthey've got such a strong following
(01:57):
Yeah.
Is there that they do inparticular that helps with that?
I It's think it's one of those, becauseit's such an iconic, you know, the jetty
is quite iconic for Perth, but alsojust like, it's such a community event
where if you go down there, everyone'ssupporting and cheering for each other.
And there's lots of people in the familyinvolvement and, it's such a positive
vibe, which is quite different to someof the other open water events because
(02:20):
it's just done such a larger scale.
So once you do one Busselton JettySwim, it's quite highly addictive.
So then you want to come backagain the year after and then
you bring your new friend too.
does it for the first time.
Then they want to do itevery year after that.
Then they bring new friends.
So I think it justcontinually grows and grows.
Whoever does it always wants to do it.
Yeah.
So it's, grown over a number of years.
(02:42):
How long has it been going for?
Oh, I remember that wassomething at the anniversary.
I remember that someone said lastyear when I was there that there was
a guy down there who was there forthe first ever Busselton Jetty Swim.
Can't think of how long it was, butit was quite a long time, and it's
definitely grown in popularity.
Like, you don't need to.
You could have just turned, yourocked off on the day, I think,
(03:03):
and just swam around the jetty.
You know, it's nothinglike what it is now.
It's got a whole, you know,the organizers, the volunteers,
there's hundreds of them puttingthis Magnificent race together.
Busselton really know how todo that, don't they, as a town.
Yes.
I think pretty much if you livein Busselton, you'd probably
have something to do with beinginvolved in that jetty swim.
(03:24):
And it goes for like, it's notjust the jetty swim day on the day,
which is the Sunday beforehand,they have There's a run, and there's
bands, and there's dancing, andthere's lots of other activities.
There's lots of distances for the swim,so there's something for everyone there,
no matter what age or ability you are,or what sport you even are interested in,
My wife has actually beeninterested in doing it as well,
(03:46):
but, hasn't pushed the button
yet.
So that will be another oneyou have to compete with
Yeah, you need to start October,November, which is quite good
because you enter it in October,November, and then it gives you time.
So because if you've done no training upuntil then, it gives you, you know, three,
four months to then get your trainingprogram organized so you could do it.
And once you're entered, youknow, you've committed yourself.
(04:08):
And what's your favourite part of theI'll call it the carnival atmosphere of
being down at the Busselton Jetty Swim?
My favorite part, well myfavorite part is probably the end.
But that's because I think you're sonervous at the beginning, no matter what,
no matter how fit you are or how muchyou've trained, you're nervous regardless.
(04:28):
So you're nervous because you'rechallenging yourself and you know, putting
yourself out of your comfort limit.
And then once you've done it, you've doneyour swim and then you've come through,
then you've gone through the challengeand then you're just so ecstatic.
You did it and you're so worried.
You're nervous, youknow, but you've done it.
Everyone's there cheering everyone along.
You're just part of thiswhole vibe with the community.
(04:49):
It's like a little party at the end,everybody celebrating everybody.
We're celebrating the volunteers whoare celebrating the swimmers, you know.
So it's quite contagious, thispositive atmosphere down there.
So definitely the endas you cross through.
and it also symbolizes, yoursuccess in actually completing it.
Yes, Because there's no matter what,you still have that little doubt.
(05:11):
Will I make it?
will I be happy with how I went?
All these little negative thoughtsthat do creep through your mind,
beginning and maybe during, therace, not even race, the swim.
I prefer to call it the swim.
Some people get a little bitnervous when I call it a race.
Yeah.
And it is swim in the title, isn't it?
They time it like a race,but they treat it like a
(05:32):
swim.
Yeah.
Well, I think it's kind of like oneof those races where it's a race for
all, you know, you've got your eliteswimmers down there and then you've
got your people have just learned toswim, then you've got, you know, people
who are swimming with their kids.
So everyone's got theirdifferent challenges and goals
going on during the race.
So Jamie, what does it take youto be an ambassador for an event
(05:53):
like the Busselton Jetty Swim?
What it took for me to be theambassador was more that I wanted
to be that positive role model.
I wanted to be where people could come andtell me their stories of their swimming.
I wanted to encourage andsupport everyone in the race.
I wanted to be part of that uplifting, youknow, uplift others, support others, that
(06:14):
their whole community is, the Busseltoncommunity is what they represent.
I wanted to be part of that, and justbe a positive role model for all the
swimmers and families, down there.
And I feel like if your that way it'squite contagious then it passes on to
the next person and the next person.
And we just make it fun.
We make it as fun and competitiveas how you want it to be.
(06:36):
That's one of the magic, keys totheir event then is having ambassadors
that people can look, look up to.
Yes, that's what I wouldwant an ambassador.
I would want someone that youwould think of as a, positive,
role model, approachable, someone,that you could go to support.
Yeah, that's what I would look forif I was looking for someone to be
(06:57):
a ambassador for an event like that.
When you were the ambassador, whatdid you do to demonstrate to other
people that you were that person?
I did a couple of interviews, before andon the day of the Busselton Jetty Swim.
I also met,
quite a few of the swimmers andpeople came and told me their stories.
(07:18):
So I met a guy who had juststarted swimming and learnt
to swim at 58 years old.
And.
He was 64 and he had challenged himselfto swim the Busselton Jetty Swim.
So he put himself down, he liveddown in Margaret River, got himself,
a coach, said, this is my goal.
Teach me how to swim.
And I thought that was prettyimpressive to go from never swimming
(07:42):
your whole entire life to all of asudden going to put yourself through
the Busselton Jetty Swim at 3.6kilometers where you head out to sea.
And then you turn around.
And for those who have never donethe Busselton Jetty Swim, I always
recommend that people swim in theocean, before the event to get used
to that, just swimming out to sea, getused to the chop and all the weather.
(08:02):
So that was really inspiring.
And then I also met, a 15 year oldgirl who was terrified of sharks and
never wanted to swim in the ocean.
even growing up, you know, cause welive in Australia, they all hang out
with their friends down at the beach,but she wouldn't even go onto the beach
cause she was so worried about sharks.
So her family had put her through,training and with a swim coach
(08:22):
and trying to get her into theocean and coached her through it.
And I think there was, It's aboutthree times, I think she wanted to
leave the water, but she got throughit, with all her fears going on.
So it's pretty impressive.
the stories that you hear from, thepeople and they're like, Oh my goodness,
you guys should all be ambassadors.
Yeah.
The stories you guys have got.
Yeah.
It's amazing and inspiring.
(08:43):
It is amazing, and having any story,really, that's a positive story around,
an event, sets you up to be an ambassador,which we'll talk about how you might
do that a bit later on, but, with everyevent, there are people getting out there,
doing something that's a stretch for them.
Yes, yes, definitely.
There's a lot of people you don't knowwhat's happened behind the scenes in their
(09:03):
lives that have brought them to this race.
it may look like to some people thatit's all about the, you know, the elite
people on the start lines and getting,you know, getting them through, but
you just pick up, ask anyone in therace, you know, give them their story.
It's, it's quite interesting andfascinating and very impressive.
Yes, that's a little bit howthis podcast works as well,
like, everybody has a story,
(09:24):
Yep.
At an event, everybody has a story forhow they got to that particular point.
Yes.
What is it about your, swimming historythat set you up as an ambassador?
well, I think, probably myprevious results, that probably
led me to being an ambassador.
So I've done the Rottnest Channelsin Solo nine times, and I've won
it four times, and come secondfour times, and I think third once.
(09:48):
I've also done the BusseltonJetty Swim nine times.
That seems to be my luckynumber nine, because I think
I've done most races at nine.
But I'm feeling like 9's a good number.
I don't need to go to 10.
I've also done the Busselton Jetty Swim.
I think I've won it nine times.
I've also broken therecord for the event twice.
where I got one of those massivechecks that I think have been
(10:11):
hidden around my house somewhere.
So I think that's what broughtme to be, an ambassador.
But saying that, I'm not as fast, asfit, as strong as I was in those days, so
I'm also hoping that I was, also chosenbecause I'm hoping that I am motivating,
inspiring for, those swimmers out thereor those participants or family members.
(10:32):
And, as a positive.
role model and hope that, people canshare their stories or look up to me
and I live a quite a healthy, positivelifestyle that, people could follow
or, find a challenge and I'm quite goalorientated and then work back from them.
You know, throughout my life, I'malways writing goals, whether it's,
in the pool or out of the pool.
(10:52):
It's just the way my brain works,always having goals and, trying
for something and goals in life.
Goals are actually magic foryour whole life, aren't they?
Yes, if you want to succeed or doanything or accomplish things, I do
find having goals sets you up in allareas of your life, just having them.
And it's like just having those tickboxes where, you accomplish something,
(11:15):
it makes you feel really good.
no matter how small it is,just like tidying the house.
Tick.
Feel pretty good.
Yes, it's
a positive reinforcement
cycle
Yes, exactly.
And it leads to bigger and better things.
So
you're definitely out theredoing tiny little goals
and much bigger goals in your
life as
Yes.
(11:35):
We just had the new year, probablywhen most people start looking
at their goals again, that'swhere I started looking again.
What are my goals for 2025?
what do I want to accomplishby the end of this year?
Give myself 12 months.
Yeah.
And you also, I imagine, have the,the goals for 2024 you're able to
look back on and see how you went.
Yes.
(11:55):
Yes.
So I, for myself, I keep a blog and adiary, just a personal one where I write
down what I've accomplished and breakit down year by year, what happened
this year, things I would do again,things that I wouldn't do again, and
things that I would change or, ThatI won't continue doing on in 2025.
That's quite amazing.
In my other work, I dooral history recording.
(12:17):
Sounds like you've already built a recordof your personal history that you could
share with future generations as well.
Yeah, I think I just naturally startedquite when I was young because I've still
got from when I was a teenager or beforea teenager, you know, the hard copy diary.
I've still got my diaries fromwhen I used to do that every year.
I wrote them all down and now that, whentechnology improves, then I went to a
(12:39):
blog and I can add all the photos andthings before I used to snip things out,
tickets and, did little drawings in there.
. You're well ahead of a lot of thepopulation in having something along those
lines you can pass down to your family.
That's amazing.
We've had a look at what it takes to be anambassador for the Busselton Jetty Swim.
We'll have a break now and after thebreak we'll have a look at what it means.
(13:09):
We've had a look at what it takesto be an ambassador for an event
like the Busselton Jetty Swim.
Now, we'll have a look at what it means.
Jamie, what does it mean to you,your family, or the community that
you're able to be an ambassadorfor the Busselton Jetty Swim?
Well, it's a huge privilege to beasked to represent the Busselton Jetty
(13:31):
Swim because I must have hopefully,you know, for the people out there,
I am that positive role model.
I am someone that people could look up to.
I'm hopefully inspiring for people outthere and not, inspiring for, elite
athletes, but just for everyone, theeveryday swimmer, the people who have
just learned to swim, the people who,the kids have got, or people have got
(13:53):
fears of swimming in the open water.
Hopefully, I am, you know, there'ssomething that anyone in the race could,
hopefully be inspired or motivated, by me.
So I feel that that was a hugeprivilege and an honor to be
asked by Busselton Jetty Swim.
It's so nice to get that sortof recognition too, isn't it, of
(14:15):
others that they see that you canbe a positive force in what they're
trying to achieve as
well.
Yes.
Yes.
And anyone who's ever done orbeen a part of the Busselton Jetty
Swim knows how successful and how,positive and healthy and inspiring
the whole race and everyone is.
So, if I could be anything iswhat that race is, you know, that
(14:38):
is a huge privilege and honor.
What meaning did it hold for your family?
My family's excited because they getto go spend the weekend in Busselton.
it's a fun weekend for them as well,you know, because there is something,
down there for everyone So my youngest,entered the, I think there was a
thousand meter race under the bridgethe day before and she entered that.
(14:58):
And then after that.
You know, she wanted togo longer and, further.
So she had a really great time down there.
Also my, friends also get involved.
So they, take their, kids and familiesdown to Busselton, as well, because
it's such a great, great event.
So you get to share a healthyactivity that's fun and
(15:19):
share that with friends as
well.
Yes.
And new friends.
You also meet a lot of people down there.
And I like that a lot of, peoplecome up and tell me their stories
and tell me, how they got there and.
how they went in the race and they'recoming back again the next year, I look
forward to, hearing all their stories.
On the community side, the ambassadorrole is about helping people feel
(15:40):
good about being there, isn't it?
I think that, engaging with theswimmers and the families, the
participants down there, hopefullyproviding something positive to
them and inspiring and motivating.
And not everyone has theswim they wanna have.
There are gonna be ups and downsand people who are disappointed
about how they went, but it's also,you know what, we don't always
(16:03):
have the race and swim we wanna do.
So it's like, what areyou gonna do with it?
Do you know?
Do you wanna just leave it there?
Well, do we want to use it again?
Doesn't mean this defines you.
We can just choose moregoals, and you learn from it.
Say you got pushed under at the startand you couldn't get your bearing
and then you fell off, whether.
someone slower beat you.
That's okay.
That's okay.
That's why I think some peopleget quite upset about that.
(16:23):
And that's all part of the learning whenwe do these swimmings and our challenges.
You can't just expect to have highsand good things all the time because
otherwise it's not challenging.
Yeah, it's not challenging if everythingwent perfect every time we did it.
We need something hard and difficultso it makes you want to come back,
makes you want to get fitter andstronger, makes you want to practice
in the ocean more for next time.
Because you learned the wayyou did it that way didn't work
(16:44):
this year, so I'm going to trysomething different next year.
Yeah, also being able to tell peoplethat, because people did come up to me
and tell me, you know, they weren't sohappy or, you know, their goggles got
kicked off at the start and they justcouldn't do it and wanted to get out.
So I feel like it makes you tougherjust challenging yourself, tougher and
stronger, no matter what the result is.
That's right.
if you don't have thosechallenges, then you
(17:06):
don't learn anything, do
you?
Yeah, it makes life moreexciting, more fun, you know, more
driven by challenging yourself.
You know, if we do the same thingevery day, it gets so boring.
Yeah, there's nothing exciting out there.
And really challenging you,that's what makes it exciting.
It gets you out of your comfort zone.
well that's my type of fun.
You know, look for mychallenges, look for my goals.
(17:27):
How am I going to get there?
And it feels fantastic when you do.
Yes, yeah, exactly.
And when you get the high that youget after the race and, no matter how
you've gone, you know, it's worth it.
It's always worth it.
You never regret it.
There's lots of positivemeaning in being an ambassador
for the Busselton Jetty Swim.
We'll have a break now, and after thebreak, we'll have a look at how you do it.
(17:55):
We've had a look at what it means.
now we'll have a look at how youbecome an ambassador for an event
like the Busselton Jetty Swim.
Jamie, how do you become ambassador foran event like the Busselton Jetty swim?
Well, I believe that you, lookingat the past ambassadors, It's not
(18:15):
about, being an elite athlete,being the fastest swimmer out there.
That's going to get you theposition to be the ambassador.
there's, been ambassadors in the pastwho have had challenges and, overcome
challenges and overcome, you know, thereare people who do, positive role models.
They are approachable.
They are charismatic, they are,good positive people to be around.
(18:38):
It's quite infectiousbeing around, those people.
So, I believe that if you're one ofthose, you know, you're a positive person,
you live a healthy lifestyle, you'reapproachable, you're compassionate, you're
empathetic, you're a good listener forthose who come up and, chat with you,
speak with you, you have time for those.
You want to help.
You want, you know, this,swim is such a wonderful swim.
(19:00):
You want it to keep succeeding.
You want the best for this, race and swimbecause what it means to so many people
out there who make this their goal for theyear and, just being around, surrounding
yourself by positive, healthy people.
if there's, five positive,healthy people around there,
guess who's going to be the sixth?
You know, it's exciting.
(19:21):
Yeah.
So that's what, you know,who doesn't want that?
Life is good and life is fun.
So we just, well, it's actually not,it's really tough and challenging, but
we need, that's why we look for thosepositive, things where we can get it.
there's only positive and healthylifestyles that comes out of those events.
And they run it very well.
That's very much how you think aboutyourself really drives whether or not
(19:42):
you can actually be an ambassador.
Yes.
Yeah, exactly.
So, you know, when they asked me, I waslike, Oh dear, do I have what it takes?
Because it's such a, prestigiousrole, but I'm very fortunate that I
got asked, by Busselton Jetty Swim.
Yes, and being asked and then havingthat, doubt in your mind shows that it
really is a challenge for you as well.
(20:03):
It's a different challenge to theswim challenge and it's, probably a
different challenge to the preparationchallenge, but It's another element of
challenge for that event for
you.
Yeah.
I guess with, you know, you've takenon the ambassador role, you know,
leaves us, great responsibility.
So you want to do the bestthat you can, which what the
people would expect from you.
(20:24):
So hopefully live upto their expectations.
If you set a goal and then youneed to work towards it, don't you?
To be able to uphold that trust thatthe organization has put in you.
What sort of commitment did you haveto make for the ambassador role?
Like, did you have to have anavailability commitment or?
Well, I just had to just availabilityto come down for the, the entire
(20:48):
weekend while it was going on and,go to all the events because it's
not just the swim itself, you know,there's quite a few events that
lead up to it over that weekend.
So that's quite fun because Iprobably haven't been involved
in all the other other eventsthat go on during the weekend.
So it was good to see that side of it.
And did you do much promotion of the
event?
probably mostly on, socialmedia, and on the day just doing
(21:11):
interviews and, being at the eventand giving out prizes and medals.
So it's actually super fun forme to get asked to do that.
So I was, I was quite lucky.
Yeah.
I was like, they want me to do that?
Yeah.
So that?
was,
prizes is great, isn't it?
yeah.
It really is about that attitude andthinking that you, you covered first.
(21:33):
And then, every event's going to bea bit different, so, someone's going
to be an ambassador for some otherevent, then, they're going to be things
like the social media and interviewsand, interaction opportunities.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And I think that, if they justwrite their goals down, you know,
whether it's They want to do the 3.
Jetty Swim, or the 1000km or I thinkthere's even a 500m swim as well.
(21:55):
They just work backwards from that.
Write your goal down, work backwards.
You know, what's it going totake for you to get there?
How often can you get to the pool?
You know, training is really, the key.
Consistency, you know.
And there'll be times where It getsboring and you don't want to go, but
I do think writing yourself a goal,certain amount of sessions you want
to do per week, get yourself in theocean, familiarize yourself with that.
And also get yourself in the oceanwhen it's not just flat, when
(22:17):
it's choppy and wavy, get used tobeing hit around, thrown around.
And maybe if there's some otherocean races where you're used to,
you know, a whole lot of peoplediving in together, that can be
quite scary and daunting for people.
So just get used to that and it's okay.
If your goggles leak andfalls off, it's okay.
Just stop, take a breath, fixthem up and then start again.
It's okay.
Yeah, don't give up, because I thinkregardless, just complete it, complete
(22:41):
the race no matter what happens.
Yeah, just,
delve in, do what it
takes.
Yes, even if it's not going to yourrace plan, just, you know, there
will be things that pop up on theday, but we just worry about that.
On the day or as it comes, there's nopoint about worrying what is right before
if you are only thinking of negativethoughts, think of the positive things.
Think of how you're gonna feelat the end when you finish this
(23:03):
Is there something next for you?
Yes.
So my next goal or next, race is Iactually, I'm doing the Rockness
channel swim in a team of four.
Last year, the event got cancelled dueto bad weather halfway through the race.
So we're going back again, like theteam that I'm, was in from last year.
And then I'm also entered, I thinka week or two after that, there's
(23:24):
a 20 kilometer run, a down inDunsborough, and five kilometers swim.
That's all broken up.
It's a run, swim, transcape event, thatI'm looking forward to doing in March,
March, not too far away.
what was it a 20k
run?
It's 20 Ks, but it's broken up.
So I think the first run islike, first run leg is like 4K.
run and then 800 meter swim, thenit'll go 3k run and 900 meter swim.
(23:48):
And you swim in your shoesand you run and swim with all
your gear on the entire time.
So it's quite different andit's quite beautiful going
around, you know, the Southwest.
It is a fantastic idea, and I'll letmy listeners work at getting their
head around swimming with shoes
on.
Yeah, I know they're special shoes.
I did it one year wearing normal shoes.
Don't wear normal shoes.
Special, special trail shoesthat drains all the water out.
(24:12):
Yeah,
so there is a
I know.
Yes, get the proper shoes, butyeah, you do swim with your shoes.
And you do run with your gogglesand your cap and you do run,
do the event in your bathers.
Doesn't look pretty.
Doesn't feel pretty either,but like I said, the finish
bit is what, gets us there.
The finish feeling.
Absolutely, that's a bit of an adventure
challenge
type thing as
(24:32):
well.
That's
Yes.
Yeah.
Not to get injured.
It's also on there.
Yeah.
Well, thank you very much for
being
on
Forrest.Chat
Jamie, and, Forrest.Chat
listeners
wish you all the best in your
future endeavour.
Thank you very much.
Thank you for having me on Forrest.Chat.
You've been listening to Forrest.Chat,where we talk about individual
(24:52):
endeavour in Western Australia.
What it takes, what itmeans, and how you do it.
I'm your host, Paul van der Mey, andin today's episode we talked with
Jamie Bowler about being an ambassadorfor the Busselton Jetty Swim.
Remember, there are four ways toget involved with Forrest.Chat.
Share the domain Forrest.Chat with yourfriends and family and people you meet.
(25:16):
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(25:37):
then, enjoy making it happen.
Welcome to Forrest.Chat,where we talk about individual
endeavour in Western Australia.
What it takes, what itmeans, and how you do it.
I'm your host, Paul van der Mey, andin today's episode, we're talking
with jaime Bowler about being anambassador for Busselton Jetty Swim.
Jamie started open water swimmingat around 15, has done nine solo
(00:30):
Rottnest Channel swims and multipleteam relay swims in that Rottnest
Channel swim, and has done theBusselton Jetty Swim nine times.
Having some success at the BusseltonJetty Swim, Jamie was asked to become
an ambassador for the event in 2024.
Welcome to Forrest.Chat, Jamie.
(00:51):
Thank you, Paul for having me.
I look forward to being on Forrest.Chat.
Thanks very much, Jamie.
It's great to have you here.
Jamie, what is the Busselton Jetty Swim?
The Busselton Jetty Swim is a,well it's down in Busselton, it's a
swim that you swim along the jetty,which is, very iconic, in Perth.
It's about 1.
(01:12):
6 kilometers long, so you swim down aroundthe jetty and you swim back into shore.
So the total distance is about 3.
6 kilometers.
it's usually first or secondweekend, in February every year,
and it's quite difficult to getinto, due to its popularity.
It's one of the largest openwater swims in the world.
One of the largest in the world.
(01:32):
Yeah, so you usually have to gothrough, like, a ballot system when
it comes on in October, Novemberevery year, and then just cross your
fingers, you hope that you get in.
Like, a few friends who didn't getin, and give me a call and say,
have you got any strings that youcould do to get me into the swim?
I'm like, I don't haveanything just as much as me.
Yeah.
Wow.
So that's really impressive thatthey've got such a strong following
(01:57):
Yeah.
Is there that they do inparticular that helps with that?
I It's think it's one of those, becauseit's such an iconic, you know, the jetty
is quite iconic for Perth, but alsojust like, it's such a community event
where if you go down there, everyone'ssupporting and cheering for each other.
And there's lots of people in the familyinvolvement and, it's such a positive
vibe, which is quite different to someof the other open water events because
(02:20):
it's just done such a larger scale.
So once you do one Busselton JettySwim, it's quite highly addictive.
So then you want to come backagain the year after and then
you bring your new friend too.
does it for the first time.
Then they want to do itevery year after that.
Then they bring new friends.
So I think it justcontinually grows and grows.
Whoever does it always wants to do it.
Yeah.
So it's, grown over a number of years.
(02:42):
How long has it been going for?
Oh, I remember that wassomething at the anniversary.
I remember that someone said lastyear when I was there that there was
a guy down there who was there forthe first ever Busselton Jetty Swim.
Can't think of how long it was, butit was quite a long time, and it's
definitely grown in popularity.
Like, you don't need to.
You could have just turned, yourocked off on the day, I think,
(03:03):
and just swam around the jetty.
You know, it's nothinglike what it is now.
It's got a whole, you know,the organizers, the volunteers,
there's hundreds of them puttingthis Magnificent race together.
Busselton really know how todo that, don't they, as a town.
Yes.
I think pretty much if you livein Busselton, you'd probably
have something to do with beinginvolved in that jetty swim.
(03:24):
And it goes for like, it's notjust the jetty swim day on the day,
which is the Sunday beforehand,they have There's a run, and there's
bands, and there's dancing, andthere's lots of other activities.
There's lots of distances for the swim,so there's something for everyone there,
no matter what age or ability you are,or what sport you even are interested in,
My wife has actually beeninterested in doing it as well,
(03:46):
but, hasn't pushed the button
yet.
So that will be another oneyou have to compete with
Yeah, you need to start October,November, which is quite good
because you enter it in October,November, and then it gives you time.
So because if you've done no training upuntil then, it gives you, you know, three,
four months to then get your trainingprogram organized so you could do it.
And once you're entered, youknow, you've committed yourself.
(04:08):
And what's your favourite part of theI'll call it the carnival atmosphere of
being down at the Busselton Jetty Swim?
My favorite part, well myfavorite part is probably the end.
But that's because I think you're sonervous at the beginning, no matter what,
no matter how fit you are or how muchyou've trained, you're nervous regardless.
(04:28):
So you're nervous because you'rechallenging yourself and you know, putting
yourself out of your comfort limit.
And then once you've done it, you've doneyour swim and then you've come through,
then you've gone through the challengeand then you're just so ecstatic.
You did it and you're so worried.
You're nervous, youknow, but you've done it.
Everyone's there cheering everyone along.
You're just part of thiswhole vibe with the community.
(04:49):
It's like a little party at the end,everybody celebrating everybody.
We're celebrating the volunteers whoare celebrating the swimmers, you know.
So it's quite contagious, thispositive atmosphere down there.
So definitely the endas you cross through.
and it also symbolizes, yoursuccess in actually completing it.
Yes, Because there's no matter what,you still have that little doubt.
(05:11):
Will I make it?
will I be happy with how I went?
All these little negative thoughtsthat do creep through your mind,
beginning and maybe during, therace, not even race, the swim.
I prefer to call it the swim.
Some people get a little bitnervous when I call it a race.
Yeah.
And it is swim in the title, isn't it?
They time it like a race,but they treat it like a
(05:32):
swim.
Yeah.
Well, I think it's kind of like oneof those races where it's a race for
all, you know, you've got your eliteswimmers down there and then you've
got your people have just learned toswim, then you've got, you know, people
who are swimming with their kids.
So everyone's got theirdifferent challenges and goals
going on during the race.
So Jamie, what does it take youto be an ambassador for an event
(05:53):
like the Busselton Jetty Swim?
What it took for me to be theambassador was more that I wanted
to be that positive role model.
I wanted to be where people could come andtell me their stories of their swimming.
I wanted to encourage andsupport everyone in the race.
I wanted to be part of that uplifting, youknow, uplift others, support others, that
(06:14):
their whole community is, the Busseltoncommunity is what they represent.
I wanted to be part of that, and justbe a positive role model for all the
swimmers and families, down there.
And I feel like if your that way it'squite contagious then it passes on to
the next person and the next person.
And we just make it fun.
We make it as fun and competitiveas how you want it to be.
(06:36):
That's one of the magic, keys totheir event then is having ambassadors
that people can look, look up to.
Yes, that's what I wouldwant an ambassador.
I would want someone that youwould think of as a, positive,
role model, approachable, someone,that you could go to support.
Yeah, that's what I would look forif I was looking for someone to be
(06:57):
a ambassador for an event like that.
When you were the ambassador, whatdid you do to demonstrate to other
people that you were that person?
I did a couple of interviews, before andon the day of the Busselton Jetty Swim.
I also met,
quite a few of the swimmers andpeople came and told me their stories.
(07:18):
So I met a guy who had juststarted swimming and learnt
to swim at 58 years old.
And.
He was 64 and he had challenged himselfto swim the Busselton Jetty Swim.
So he put himself down, he liveddown in Margaret River, got himself,
a coach, said, this is my goal.
Teach me how to swim.
And I thought that was prettyimpressive to go from never swimming
(07:42):
your whole entire life to all of asudden going to put yourself through
the Busselton Jetty Swim at 3.6kilometers where you head out to sea.
And then you turn around.
And for those who have never donethe Busselton Jetty Swim, I always
recommend that people swim in theocean, before the event to get used
to that, just swimming out to sea, getused to the chop and all the weather.
(08:02):
So that was really inspiring.
And then I also met, a 15 year oldgirl who was terrified of sharks and
never wanted to swim in the ocean.
even growing up, you know, cause welive in Australia, they all hang out
with their friends down at the beach,but she wouldn't even go onto the beach
cause she was so worried about sharks.
So her family had put her through,training and with a swim coach
(08:22):
and trying to get her into theocean and coached her through it.
And I think there was, It's aboutthree times, I think she wanted to
leave the water, but she got throughit, with all her fears going on.
So it's pretty impressive.
the stories that you hear from, thepeople and they're like, Oh my goodness,
you guys should all be ambassadors.
Yeah.
The stories you guys have got.
Yeah.
It's amazing and inspiring.
(08:43):
It is amazing, and having any story,really, that's a positive story around,
an event, sets you up to be an ambassador,which we'll talk about how you might
do that a bit later on, but, with everyevent, there are people getting out there,
doing something that's a stretch for them.
Yes, yes, definitely.
There's a lot of people you don't knowwhat's happened behind the scenes in their
(09:03):
lives that have brought them to this race.
it may look like to some people thatit's all about the, you know, the elite
people on the start lines and getting,you know, getting them through, but
you just pick up, ask anyone in therace, you know, give them their story.
It's, it's quite interesting andfascinating and very impressive.
Yes, that's a little bit howthis podcast works as well,
like, everybody has a story,
(09:24):
Yep.
At an event, everybody has a story forhow they got to that particular point.
Yes.
What is it about your, swimming historythat set you up as an ambassador?
well, I think, probably myprevious results, that probably
led me to being an ambassador.
So I've done the Rottnest Channelsin Solo nine times, and I've won
it four times, and come secondfour times, and I think third once.
(09:48):
I've also done the BusseltonJetty Swim nine times.
That seems to be my luckynumber nine, because I think
I've done most races at nine.
But I'm feeling like 9's a good number.
I don't need to go to 10.
I've also done the Busselton Jetty Swim.
I think I've won it nine times.
I've also broken therecord for the event twice.
where I got one of those massivechecks that I think have been
(10:11):
hidden around my house somewhere.
So I think that's what broughtme to be, an ambassador.
But saying that, I'm not as fast, asfit, as strong as I was in those days, so
I'm also hoping that I was, also chosenbecause I'm hoping that I am motivating,
inspiring for, those swimmers out thereor those participants or family members.
(10:32):
And, as a positive.
role model and hope that, people canshare their stories or look up to me
and I live a quite a healthy, positivelifestyle that, people could follow
or, find a challenge and I'm quite goalorientated and then work back from them.
You know, throughout my life, I'malways writing goals, whether it's,
in the pool or out of the pool.
(10:52):
It's just the way my brain works,always having goals and, trying
for something and goals in life.
Goals are actually magic foryour whole life, aren't they?
Yes, if you want to succeed or doanything or accomplish things, I do
find having goals sets you up in allareas of your life, just having them.
And it's like just having those tickboxes where, you accomplish something,
(11:15):
it makes you feel really good.
no matter how small it is,just like tidying the house.
Tick.
Feel pretty good.
Yes, it's
a positive reinforcement
cycle
Yes, exactly.
And it leads to bigger and better things.
So
you're definitely out theredoing tiny little goals
and much bigger goals in your
life as
Yes.
(11:35):
We just had the new year, probablywhen most people start looking
at their goals again, that'swhere I started looking again.
What are my goals for 2025?
what do I want to accomplishby the end of this year?
Give myself 12 months.
Yeah.
And you also, I imagine, have the,the goals for 2024 you're able to
look back on and see how you went.
Yes.
(11:55):
Yes.
So I, for myself, I keep a blog and adiary, just a personal one where I write
down what I've accomplished and breakit down year by year, what happened
this year, things I would do again,things that I wouldn't do again, and
things that I would change or, ThatI won't continue doing on in 2025.
That's quite amazing.
In my other work, I dooral history recording.
(12:17):
Sounds like you've already built a recordof your personal history that you could
share with future generations as well.
Yeah, I think I just naturally startedquite when I was young because I've still
got from when I was a teenager or beforea teenager, you know, the hard copy diary.
I've still got my diaries fromwhen I used to do that every year.
I wrote them all down and now that, whentechnology improves, then I went to a
(12:39):
blog and I can add all the photos andthings before I used to snip things out,
tickets and, did little drawings in there.
. You're well ahead of a lot of thepopulation in having something along those
lines you can pass down to your family.
That's amazing.
We've had a look at what it takes to be anambassador for the Busselton Jetty Swim.
We'll have a break now and after thebreak we'll have a look at what it means.
(13:09):
We've had a look at what it takesto be an ambassador for an event
like the Busselton Jetty Swim.
Now, we'll have a look at what it means.
Jamie, what does it mean to you,your family, or the community that
you're able to be an ambassadorfor the Busselton Jetty Swim?
Well, it's a huge privilege to beasked to represent the Busselton Jetty
(13:31):
Swim because I must have hopefully,you know, for the people out there,
I am that positive role model.
I am someone that people could look up to.
I'm hopefully inspiring for people outthere and not, inspiring for, elite
athletes, but just for everyone, theeveryday swimmer, the people who have
just learned to swim, the people who,the kids have got, or people have got
(13:53):
fears of swimming in the open water.
Hopefully, I am, you know, there'ssomething that anyone in the race could,
hopefully be inspired or motivated, by me.
So I feel that that was a hugeprivilege and an honor to be
asked by Busselton Jetty Swim.
It's so nice to get that sortof recognition too, isn't it, of
(14:15):
others that they see that you canbe a positive force in what they're
trying to achieve as
well.
Yes.
Yes.
And anyone who's ever done orbeen a part of the Busselton Jetty
Swim knows how successful and how,positive and healthy and inspiring
the whole race and everyone is.
So, if I could be anything iswhat that race is, you know, that
(14:38):
is a huge privilege and honor.
What meaning did it hold for your family?
My family's excited because they getto go spend the weekend in Busselton.
it's a fun weekend for them as well,you know, because there is something,
down there for everyone So my youngest,entered the, I think there was a
thousand meter race under the bridgethe day before and she entered that.
(14:58):
And then after that.
You know, she wanted togo longer and, further.
So she had a really great time down there.
Also my, friends also get involved.
So they, take their, kids and familiesdown to Busselton, as well, because
it's such a great, great event.
So you get to share a healthyactivity that's fun and
(15:19):
share that with friends as
well.
Yes.
And new friends.
You also meet a lot of people down there.
And I like that a lot of, peoplecome up and tell me their stories
and tell me, how they got there and.
how they went in the race and they'recoming back again the next year, I look
forward to, hearing all their stories.
On the community side, the ambassadorrole is about helping people feel
(15:40):
good about being there, isn't it?
I think that, engaging with theswimmers and the families, the
participants down there, hopefullyproviding something positive to
them and inspiring and motivating.
And not everyone has theswim they wanna have.
There are gonna be ups and downsand people who are disappointed
about how they went, but it's also,you know what, we don't always
(16:03):
have the race and swim we wanna do.
So it's like, what areyou gonna do with it?
Do you know?
Do you wanna just leave it there?
Well, do we want to use it again?
Doesn't mean this defines you.
We can just choose moregoals, and you learn from it.
Say you got pushed under at the startand you couldn't get your bearing
and then you fell off, whether.
someone slower beat you.
That's okay.
That's okay.
That's why I think some peopleget quite upset about that.
(16:23):
And that's all part of the learning whenwe do these swimmings and our challenges.
You can't just expect to have highsand good things all the time because
otherwise it's not challenging.
Yeah, it's not challenging if everythingwent perfect every time we did it.
We need something hard and difficultso it makes you want to come back,
makes you want to get fitter andstronger, makes you want to practice
in the ocean more for next time.
Because you learned the wayyou did it that way didn't work
(16:44):
this year, so I'm going to trysomething different next year.
Yeah, also being able to tell peoplethat, because people did come up to me
and tell me, you know, they weren't sohappy or, you know, their goggles got
kicked off at the start and they justcouldn't do it and wanted to get out.
So I feel like it makes you tougherjust challenging yourself, tougher and
stronger, no matter what the result is.
That's right.
if you don't have thosechallenges, then you
(17:06):
don't learn anything, do
you?
Yeah, it makes life moreexciting, more fun, you know, more
driven by challenging yourself.
You know, if we do the same thingevery day, it gets so boring.
Yeah, there's nothing exciting out there.
And really challenging you,that's what makes it exciting.
It gets you out of your comfort zone.
well that's my type of fun.
You know, look for mychallenges, look for my goals.
(17:27):
How am I going to get there?
And it feels fantastic when you do.
Yes, yeah, exactly.
And when you get the high that youget after the race and, no matter how
you've gone, you know, it's worth it.
It's always worth it.
You never regret it.
There's lots of positivemeaning in being an ambassador
for the Busselton Jetty Swim.
We'll have a break now, and after thebreak, we'll have a look at how you do it.
(17:55):
We've had a look at what it means.
now we'll have a look at how youbecome an ambassador for an event
like the Busselton Jetty Swim.
Jamie, how do you become ambassador foran event like the Busselton Jetty swim?
Well, I believe that you, lookingat the past ambassadors, It's not
(18:15):
about, being an elite athlete,being the fastest swimmer out there.
That's going to get you theposition to be the ambassador.
there's, been ambassadors in the pastwho have had challenges and, overcome
challenges and overcome, you know, thereare people who do, positive role models.
They are approachable.
They are charismatic, they are,good positive people to be around.
(18:38):
It's quite infectiousbeing around, those people.
So, I believe that if you're one ofthose, you know, you're a positive person,
you live a healthy lifestyle, you'reapproachable, you're compassionate, you're
empathetic, you're a good listener forthose who come up and, chat with you,
speak with you, you have time for those.
You want to help.
You want, you know, this,swim is such a wonderful swim.
(19:00):
You want it to keep succeeding.
You want the best for this, race and swimbecause what it means to so many people
out there who make this their goal for theyear and, just being around, surrounding
yourself by positive, healthy people.
if there's, five positive,healthy people around there,
guess who's going to be the sixth?
You know, it's exciting.
(19:21):
Yeah.
So that's what, you know,who doesn't want that?
Life is good and life is fun.
So we just, well, it's actually not,it's really tough and challenging, but
we need, that's why we look for thosepositive, things where we can get it.
there's only positive and healthylifestyles that comes out of those events.
And they run it very well.
That's very much how you think aboutyourself really drives whether or not
(19:42):
you can actually be an ambassador.
Yes.
Yeah, exactly.
So, you know, when they asked me, I waslike, Oh dear, do I have what it takes?
Because it's such a, prestigiousrole, but I'm very fortunate that I
got asked, by Busselton Jetty Swim.
Yes, and being asked and then havingthat, doubt in your mind shows that it
really is a challenge for you as well.
(20:03):
It's a different challenge to theswim challenge and it's, probably a
different challenge to the preparationchallenge, but It's another element of
challenge for that event for
you.
Yeah.
I guess with, you know, you've takenon the ambassador role, you know,
leaves us, great responsibility.
So you want to do the bestthat you can, which what the
people would expect from you.
(20:24):
So hopefully live upto their expectations.
If you set a goal and then youneed to work towards it, don't you?
To be able to uphold that trust thatthe organization has put in you.
What sort of commitment did you haveto make for the ambassador role?
Like, did you have to have anavailability commitment or?
Well, I just had to just availabilityto come down for the, the entire
(20:48):
weekend while it was going on and,go to all the events because it's
not just the swim itself, you know,there's quite a few events that
lead up to it over that weekend.
So that's quite fun because Iprobably haven't been involved
in all the other other eventsthat go on during the weekend.
So it was good to see that side of it.
And did you do much promotion of the
event?
probably mostly on, socialmedia, and on the day just doing
(21:11):
interviews and, being at the eventand giving out prizes and medals.
So it's actually super fun forme to get asked to do that.
So I was, I was quite lucky.
Yeah.
I was like, they want me to do that?
Yeah.
So that?
was,
prizes is great, isn't it?
yeah.
It really is about that attitude andthinking that you, you covered first.
(21:33):
And then, every event's going to bea bit different, so, someone's going
to be an ambassador for some otherevent, then, they're going to be things
like the social media and interviewsand, interaction opportunities.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And I think that, if they justwrite their goals down, you know,
whether it's They want to do the 3.
Jetty Swim, or the 1000km or I thinkthere's even a 500m swim as well.
(21:55):
They just work backwards from that.
Write your goal down, work backwards.
You know, what's it going totake for you to get there?
How often can you get to the pool?
You know, training is really, the key.
Consistency, you know.
And there'll be times where It getsboring and you don't want to go, but
I do think writing yourself a goal,certain amount of sessions you want
to do per week, get yourself in theocean, familiarize yourself with that.
And also get yourself in the oceanwhen it's not just flat, when
(22:17):
it's choppy and wavy, get used tobeing hit around, thrown around.
And maybe if there's some otherocean races where you're used to,
you know, a whole lot of peoplediving in together, that can be
quite scary and daunting for people.
So just get used to that and it's okay.
If your goggles leak andfalls off, it's okay.
Just stop, take a breath, fixthem up and then start again.
It's okay.
Yeah, don't give up, because I thinkregardless, just complete it, complete
(22:41):
the race no matter what happens.
Yeah, just,
delve in, do what it
takes.
Yes, even if it's not going to yourrace plan, just, you know, there
will be things that pop up on theday, but we just worry about that.
On the day or as it comes, there's nopoint about worrying what is right before
if you are only thinking of negativethoughts, think of the positive things.
Think of how you're gonna feelat the end when you finish this
(23:03):
Is there something next for you?
Yes.
So my next goal or next, race is Iactually, I'm doing the Rockness
channel swim in a team of four.
Last year, the event got cancelled dueto bad weather halfway through the race.
So we're going back again, like theteam that I'm, was in from last year.
And then I'm also entered, I thinka week or two after that, there's
(23:24):
a 20 kilometer run, a down inDunsborough, and five kilometers swim.
That's all broken up.
It's a run, swim, transcape event, thatI'm looking forward to doing in March,
March, not too far away.
what was it a 20k
run?
It's 20 Ks, but it's broken up.
So I think the first run islike, first run leg is like 4K.
run and then 800 meter swim, thenit'll go 3k run and 900 meter swim.
(23:48):
And you swim in your shoesand you run and swim with all
your gear on the entire time.
So it's quite different andit's quite beautiful going
around, you know, the Southwest.
It is a fantastic idea, and I'll letmy listeners work at getting their
head around swimming with shoes
on.
Yeah, I know they're special shoes.
I did it one year wearing normal shoes.
Don't wear normal shoes.
Special, special trail shoesthat drains all the water out.
(24:12):
Yeah,
so there is a
I know.
Yes, get the proper shoes, butyeah, you do swim with your shoes.
And you do run with your gogglesand your cap and you do run,
do the event in your bathers.
Doesn't look pretty.
Doesn't feel pretty either,but like I said, the finish
bit is what, gets us there.
The finish feeling.
Absolutely, that's a bit of an adventure
challenge
type thing as
(24:32):
well.
That's
Yes.
Yeah.
Not to get injured.
It's also on there.
Yeah.
Well, thank you very much for
being
on
Forrest.Chat
Jamie, and, Forrest.Chat
listeners
wish you all the best in your
future endeavour.
Thank you very much.
Thank you for having me on Forrest.Chat.
You've been listening to Forrest.Chat,where we talk about individual
(24:52):
endeavour in Western Australia.
What it takes, what itmeans, and how you do it.
I'm your host, Paul van der Mey, andin today's episode we talked with
Jamie Bowler about being an ambassadorfor the Busselton Jetty Swim.
Remember, there are four ways toget involved with Forrest.Chat.
Share the domain Forrest.Chat with yourfriends and family and people you meet.
(25:16):
Listen to the episodes atForrest.Chat slash episodes.
If you do something interesting thatother people may be interested in, book an
interview at Forrest.Chat slash interview.
If you want to support a local business.
Book an advert atForrest.Chat slash advert.
I'm looking forward to being withyou with our next guest, until
(25:37):
then, enjoy making it happen.
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