The Victorian swimming community was saddened this week by the news of Ryan’s passing.
The popular 20 year old was a former Melbourne Vicentre swimmer, where he followed the footsteps of his elder siblings, Nathan and Bonny and reached national level. Towards the end of his career, he turned his competitive streak towards open water swimming.
Jackson said when he arrived at the club in 2008, he was immediately impressed by a gutsy 10 year old, who wanted to do the best he could in the pool.
“Even at that age he was a just an extremely hard little worker,” said Jackson, who was Melbourne Vicentre Head Coach.
“He was very competitive, anything his siblings could do, he wanted to do better.
“He was a pretty fearless kid. He would stand up. He liked long distance stuff and he would get out there and give it 100 percent. There was never anything holding him back. “
Out of the pool, his energy, upbeat nature, love of the outdoors and cheeky grin shone through and made him a popular member of the club. He also set the example for his teammates.
“Nothing was too hard for him,” Jackson said. “Within the club, he was the one who was leading the pack. He was always positive and motivating the other kids and keeping them grounded.”
Swimming Victoria and the wider swimming community extend our deepest sympathies to Ryan’s parents Paul and Fiona, Nathan, Bonny, family and friends.
May he rest in peace.
