Serpentine Swimming Club

First prize for Katie

Tony and Saundra Christmas morning, 2005

First lady

American Saundra Satterlee, Tony's partner of many years, was persuaded in 2000 to join his early morning dips. Experienced in jumping up and down body surfing in the Pacific ocean Saundra was not one for swimming in straight lines in a lake. With much encouragement from other club members and the then handicapper Cyril Wood, she mastered the art of completing first the 55 yard Winter series races, then the Christmas Day 100 yard dash and on to the longer spring and summer races. In 2002 Saundra became the first woman to win the club's other Blue Ribbon event, the Bridge to Bridge.

Aquatic best buddies

President Laure told us of the club legend that was Tony

1998 and all that

Following "a few after work drinks" Tony agreed to an early morning dunk in the duck poo the next day

In 1998 Tony was introduced to the club by Mark Fraser, who he met in a bar with work colleagues and agreed "after a few drinks" to swim the following morning. Tony was hooked. The rest, as they say, is history.

Tony won the Bridge to Bridge the following year. Though Tony was not first to finish the then handicapper Frank Simms managed to disqualify the first swimmer home for reasons no one could fathom. As if by fate, this first swimmer was the man who had fed Tony drinks and convinced him swimming in the duck poo was a cool thing to do: Mark Fraser! Mark was none too pleased.

Tony Cuthbert, 1941 - 2011

Tony was a real "character", in keeping with the long tradition of our club acting as a magnet to oddness. Born in 1941 Tony joined the club in 1998, in his late 50s. His earlier sporting prowess was as a three day eventer. Unfortunately a hip replacement lead him to quite literally hang up his spurs. Equine's loss was swimming's gain. It also left Tony with a very handy choice of outfits for the All Clothes Race.

Tony the Three Day Eventer

Advertising and cartoons

Tony had a long and successful career in advertising. Tony Cuthbert Cartoons was responsible for many famous and memorable TV and film adverts - BT's Buzby, the Babycham fawn, the Foxes' Glacier Mints' polar bear and best of all Kelloggs' Frosties' Tony the Tiger. Tony also had a strong input into the Beatles' Yellow Submarine film.

Many of us want to believe the club myth that Tony based the tiger character on himself. Sadly (for our dreams of borrowed glory) Kelloggs' Tony the Tiger character first appeared in the early 1950s when Tony would not even have been in his teens. That said, his TV and cinema campaigns for Frosties brought Tony the Tiger to animated life. Likewise, the Fox's Glacier Mint polar bear and the Babycham fawn may not have been Tony's original creations but he certainly made them jump out at us from the screen. Given Tony's work on Yellow Submarine perhaps we should claim him as our very own "fifth Beatle"?

For many years Tony was always the best dressed participant in the All Clothes Race

Christmas partytime, and that song.

For many years Tony and Saundra took the lead in the Christmas party food and drink preparation. Tony undertook much delight and relish in his own definition of the term "preparation" (i.e. eating and drinking a fair proportion of what he was preparing). Tony also acted as "master of ceremonies", introducing the acts and leading the sing-song. It was Tony who penned the ditty that has now become the club anthem - "In the duck poo" (to the tune of Darling Clemantine).......

In the duck poo, that's what we do,

Come on in, the water's fine,

You are in my heart forever,

Oh my darling Serpentine.