"Friendly" club in its 45th year of activity 04 March 2014 Peter-Johnston Media Articles THE Merrylands Amateur Swimming club celebrated its 45th anniversary on Saturday. Gladys Pye was one of the foundation members of the swimming club and now, even after all those years, she is still an active part of the club. What makes this slightly unusual is that she confesses she “cannot swim a stroke.” “Because I can’t, my children had to,” she said. Despite this Ms Pye knows nearly all there is to know about swimming technique. “I have been refereeing for 40 years,” she said, “I judge all the strokes and check all the lanes.” Ms Pye has seen the club evolve over the years. “The club has changed from a club that was very competitive (when we first started),” she said. “It’s still competitive, but now it’s a lot more family friendly orientated club.” This family friendly atmosphere was on display last Saturday with interclub competitions taking place but in addition there was an early-morning barbecue, and an anniversary cake on offer afterwards. This friendliness has paid off, attracting many young swimmers, giving depth to the club.