Victoria Rock victorious on a gloriously sunny, but decidely chilly, late February morning. Water 8c; air 4c.
The lost boys and girls were grateful to mother Mary for all the ample goodies.
Mary's Wendy Cup was keenly contested by the Serpentine's lost boys and girls
Hon. Treasurer Victoria Rock found herself at the front of the balance sheet.
Victoria was the fastest against her handicap over the two races. Though the silver cup can only be kept for a year, Mary informed Victoria that the tin foil replica is hers to keep in-perpetuity.
The good news - this was the last 50m race until November.
The not so good news - 100m next Saturday.
The club table groaned under the weight of Mary's generosity
Prize guards: one Ashrafian, three Adams, plus a passing Flora. (photo: Celeste Gilbert)
More prize guards appeared to ensure no pre speech pilfering
An additional Ashrafian, plus a Stott, a Holder, a La Grand and a George (photo: Norman Jones)
Spikey Jack Russell, Grasshopper, also kept a close eye on the prizes. Hands off, or do you feel lucky punk? (photo: Norman Jones)
Victorious Victoria had first choice (photo: Norman Jones)
Bran Thomas, winner of the second race, coveting his prize - a centenary Peter Pan book (photo: Norman Jones)
Third place for Jamal Saad (photo: Norman Jones)
An exasperated President Rob announced the places and prize winners at haste to ensure the table was cleared before sunset. With so much haste, no further photos happened.
First race underway in the 8 o'clock sunshine
Victoria (red cap) stormed through the crowd to sneak first place (photo: Norman Jones)
Chris Hatcher had the honour of being "scratch man" for the first race. Though he did not finish anywhere near the front, he was keen to proudly show off the bright colours of his new swimming costume. (photo: Norman Jones)
Second race await starter's orders
(photo: Norman Jones)
Race well underway (photo: Norman Jones)
A very close finish (photo: Norman Jones)
Time to stand and reflect (photo: Norman Jones)
Rob Ouldcott told of how Mary has swum with the club across five decades. Mary has sponsored her Wendy cup race since 2015.
In 2015, thirty years after she joined the club, Mary was asked to step into a vacant slot on the club fixture card and sponsor a race. A cup was available and, at Mary's request, was styled the "Wendy cup" in deference to the club's Peter Pan Christmas Day connection. The cup is dedicated to all of us Serpentine swimmers who at heart refuse to grow up.
As a child of the 1960s Mary would attend the Serpentine Lido in the summer holidays with her brother. She could not swim but was happy to float around in her armbands. In summer 1983 a "grown-up" Mary started swimming in the Lido daily until the day before the birth of Athena, her first daughter, that September. The following year she came back early mornings on roller skates pushing Athena in her buggy. It was then that she met club member Ron Miller, who acted as "nanny" to Athena whilst Mary swam. In 1985 Mary joined the club and started racing (the AGM of that year had granted women full member status, associate member status having been introduced in 1973). Mary intended to swim through the summer until September, then November, then someone suggested she race on Christmas morning. The rest is history.
Young Mary, magnificent on Christmas morning 1994
A rose amongst a handful of thorns - John Sextone, Mike Olizar, Geoff Ransom, Peter Larrard, Nick Adams and Peter Saunders.
The late 1970s/early 1980s saw women begin to participate in the race calendar, being allocated a handicap and swimming alongside the men. Associate member status for women had been agreed by an AGM vote in 1973. Full member status for women was established by a vote in 1985.
By the early 2000s there was no gender distinction, all swimmers competing "as equals under the eyes of the handicapper". The exception was the Christmas Day race for the Peter Pan cup. During the 1980s and 90s, to encourage the still handful of women winter swimmers, a small “Wendy cup" was provided each year by the club to be presented to the first woman home. Like the Peter Pan cup, this was retained each year by the winner.
As time went on more and more women competed many saw it as unfair that only men could win the Peter Pan cup - all swimmers in the Christmas race were competing under a handicap and the small cup provided by the club was in no manner as grand as the Peter Pan trophy presented by the race sponsors, the Greenbury family.
The AGM of 2003 sought to rectify this. The concept was by no means acceptable to all at the meeting. The compromise outcome was for the first swimmer home to be deemed the winner of the Christmas Day race - the Peter Pan cup being presented to the first man home and a Wendy cup to the first woman. No issue arose for the 2003 Christmas Day race, which was won by Alan Lacy.
No issue, until the following year.
The 2004 the race was won by the very popular veteran Emmi Hunte. Many, including race sponsors the Greenbury family, thought it very strange and unsatisfactory that a small alternative cup was presented to the race winner rather than the grand Peter Pan trophy for which the club and the event has a global reputation. The issue was addressed at the 2005 AGM with a proposal that the race winner would be presented with the Peter Pan cup, irrespective of gender. The motion was passed virtually unanimously, with many who opposed the proposal at the 2003 AGM speaking this time strongly in favour.
Emmi Hunte won the Christmas Day race for the second time in 2015, and this time rightfully received the grand trophy that is the Peter Pan cup.
The spirit of Sir James Barrie's Wendy now lives on in the guise of Mary's Wendy cup. After all, as Mary recounts, without a Wendy all of us lost boys and girls and wannabe Peter Pans would sadly soon find our way back into our perambulators (from which we had fallen in Kensimgton Gardens) and return to grown-up reality.
End of the Christas Day 100 yard dash, 1997.
Wendy leading her lost boys out of the lake, perhaps to search for the perambulators out from which they fell.
New Year's morning, 2000. The Millennium Race.
New century. New millennium. Mary (black costume, fifth from the end) smiling timelessly across the ages.
Presentations completed, we went on to celebrate Marion Couffon's birthday with cake and a sing-song.
Thank you, Charlotte.
(report compiled by Brian Thomas)