Canada Day swim
Canada Day 1st July - some background to the Canadian national holiday and our swim at Canadian Bay
Canada became a nation on 1st July 1867, when the four British colonies of Upper & Lower Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia were joined to form Canada. Upper Canada was renamed Ontario and Lower Canada was renamed Quebec on that date. There was urgency in forming the Confederation of Canada at that time. The American Civil War had just ended, and the Canadian founding fathers were concerned that, since the USA still had a large standing army, the territories to the north of the USA could be under threat from the Americans. In the next six years, the provinces of Manitoba, British Columbia and Prince Edward Island were formed, and the national government committed to building a railway across Canada to the Pacific coast. These were the important early years of Canadian nationhood, and fortunately, there was no invasion from the south. The 1st July has been celebrated as Canada's national holiday ever since.
Our Canadian Bay Swim at Mt Eliza
In May 2022, a small group of swimmers based at Parkdale were considering where to go for an 'away' swim. Then John suggested, 'Why don't we head down to Canadian Bay, Mt Eliza for a Canada Day swim on 1st July'. The idea was born and a few of us have done this swim for the last five years. We intend to continue the tradition. We have encountered a few drizzly days down at Canadian Bay, but the water is always clean and exhilarating. We sing the national anthem 'O Canada' and display Canadian flags. An additional part of the experience is the post-swim breakfast feast of pancakes, maple syrup, bacon & eggs, which we enjoy at a local cafe in nearby Mt Eliza, after the swim.
Here is the video of your 2026 event.