Anchor CEO, Heidi Tucker will be drawing on her lifetime of swimming experience as she attempts to take on the massive task of a 33.5km ultramarathon swim in the Derwent River in Tasmania.
If she succeeds, she will be awarded the Australian triple Crown of Swimming, only the 56th person to do so since its inception in 2020.
The Triple Crown involves completing three gruelling swim marathons around the country: the Rottness Island channel cross in Western Australia, the ‘Palm to Shelly’ event in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, and the Derwent River Big Swim in Tasmania – over 77km of swimming in total.
Heidi is urging the community to get behind her swim, as she looks to raise $10,000 to support Anchor’s youth homelessness programs.
The money will go towards providing young people in the Anchor MyLife Project with accommodation and the right mentors and support to be able to build a better future.
Get behind Heidi by making a donation and helping her reach her goal:
https://aetflyne.donorsupport.co/page/FUNZGMGGRNU
“This is the culmination of my life’s work” – Heidi’s preparation for the big swim
“I’ve been swimming competitively since I was 8 years old, it’s always been a part of my life.
Marathon swimming really tests the absolute limits of what you can do. There’s plenty of thinking time and a lot of suffering that you endure over the course of a long-distance swim.
My motivation comes from my father’s influence on me. Just the way I was raised was all about getting out in the outdoors. We spent a lot of time in the water together.
Then about 15 years ago, I almost lost my life to cancer.
Coming out of that really instilled in me a passion and a drive to live life to the fullest. For me that means pushing things and achieving something great.
I don’t feel you’re really alive unless you’re pushing yourself physically. I don’t need to compete against other people, or look to be the best, I’m just very locked on to wanting to push myself and really get the guts out of living.
I also consider myself to be incredibly lucky to get to do this. I’ve worked in social services for 45 years, and I think of all of the children and young people that don’t get to have the kind of support that I have enjoyed.
When I think about how tough the swim will be, it’s easy to put it out of my mind when I think about what young people experiencing homelessness go through.
I get a bit embarrassed when people tell me what an amazing thing it is to be doing a big swim like this. It’s nowhere near as hard as what these young people go through.
I really see this swim as being a culmination of the work I’ve done over the course of my life. All of the swimming I’ve done has led me to now be in reach of this achievement.
But also, I’ve been working in the social services space for nearly five decades. All of that work, all of the progress I’ve seen and been a part of, I feel it has led me to the work that Anchor are doing now in supporting young people experiencing homelessness.
Especially in supporting young people in the care system, we’re really at a point where we can tip the scales and start dismantling Australia’s youth homelessness crisis.
It truly feels like we have a turning point right in front of us.
I feel like this event defines me, my swimming and my work. It’s about going the long distance and having the commitment to see it through.
That’s what work in the homelessness space requires, committing to a long, demanding journey because the outcome matters.”
Heidi’s goal is to raise $10,000 in support of the Anchor MyLife Project, which provides accommodation, mentoring, and long-term support to young people at risk of homelessness. The funds raised will directly contribute to giving young people the stability and guidance needed to build a future that feels possible.
Every donation motivates Heidi on her swim and supports her work changing the lives of some of Australia’s most vulnerable children and young people.
