When contemplating the list of potential candidates for the SOS Carlile Cup for Lifetime Achievement, the first question I ask myself is 'what would Forbes and Ursula think?'

The question was not needed when paying plaudits to Carlile pupil Shane Gould with our 2025 Cup for an extraordinary athlete who went on to make an outstanding contribution through decades of experience and learning.

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The Carlile Cup, which was named after and in honour of Australian coaching legends and founders of the eponymous Carlile Swim Team and its swim schools and related projects is granted to those whose contribution is not only deep in decades but delivered leadership, pioneering progress and made a significant contribution to the betterment of swimming, all levels. The  spirit of the cup is summed up by these guiding principles from Ursula and Forbes:

'No one cares about how much you know, until they know how much you care' - Ursula Carlile

And this board hung on the entrance to the Carliles' pool in Bridge Street Pymble, in north Sydney: the backdrop is a photo of Forbes teaching a group of young children at Drummoyne Baths in Sydney. I share the sentiments of Carlile Foundation director Tim Ford when he wrote this in a note to me about the Pymble sign:

"For anyone who believes that culture is the most critical attribute to get right, I still feel it's one of the most powerful guiding statements an organisation can have - in whatever field the organisation plays in."

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This season marks the first in which we award Carlile Cups in two realms, the second of which recognises the coaches, teachers and mentors who have made a contribution of decades that Forbes and Ursula would identify with and be happy to recognise for long-term commitment to the betterment of swimming.

I was greatly relieved then, when I got a note back from Carlile Foundation director and former Dolphin Tim Ford when I let him know that Bill Sweetenham would be the next SOS Carlile Cup pick.

Ford, from boy to man, tadpole to Dolphin, has known Bill for a long time: he took silver in an Aussie 1-2 punch over 1500m freestyle at the 1982 Commonwealth Games, Max Metzker the champion, the bronze to England's Andy Astbury. Here's what Tim Ford wrote::

"Forbes and Ursula would be very supportive...  Bill, like Forbes and Ursula, placed a huge importance on professional development and learning.  Bill reflects this not only in his lifelong learning commitment demonstrated throughout this entire career, but also in his willingness to share his knowledge and experience with other coaches. He has definitely created a global community of learning and reflection throughout his global network."

A graduate of Harvard University, a captain of the varsity swim team during his time there, a Dolphin who raced at the 1982 World Championships in Guayaquil, Ecuador, Ford married his swimming sweetheart, 1984 and 1988 Olympian Susie Baumer, who's mother Myee (passed in 2024, RIP) was an assistant coach to Sweetenham during her own fine coaching career. , and later became a member of the board of Swimming Australia, a role he still holds.

Ford works at the heart of Carlile and was part of the team who helped put in place the structure and people at the helm of a revival in Carlile fortune with Sweetenham and John Coutts, with head coaches Chris Nesbit and Adam Mallett in mind as the men who would steer the ship to brighter shores once more.

For those who may be unaware, Coutts is a former New Zealand international who took bronze medal in the 200m butterfly at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games in Christchurch, New Zealand and competed at the 1975 World Aquatics Championships in Cali, Colombia. He represented New Zealand at the 1976 Summer Olympics in the 100 and 200 'fly. Later in life, he became a director of Carlile Swimming and its vast swim school in an organisation set up by Forbes and Ursula.

Nesbit and Mallett coached at The Southport School on the Gold Coast, where Sweetenham had set up Britain's offshore program for the men's program that played a key part in the progress and precursor to the current generation of GBR 4x200m free 2020ne and 2024 Olympic champions who stand win the shoulders of all those who tried and tried and tried again and passed on the spirit of lore to legend and famine to feast.

No surprise, then, to find Sweetenham involved in the crafting of a new era for Carlile. And when the work of all at Carlile started to show the kind of fruit that gets noticed - with results like these - Ford wrote these words that today SOS is delighted to include in the citation for Sweetenham:

"Bill, you can take much of the credit for this renewal. Your mentorship of our coaches over many years, and your belief in what we are striving for, have never wavered.  As we’ve discussed many times, for swimming in Australia to reach its full potential, swimming in NSW needs to be strong. And, for swimming in NSW to be strong, the state needs a strong Carlile Swim Team.  So, by extension, if Carlile gets going, it will have nation-wide benefits. While there is still a long way to go to achieve our ultimate renewal/turnaround goals, this has nonetheless been an amazing achievement. Our coaches and swimmers deserve to be very proud.

 "The first step on the renewal journey has been to more effectively nurture the pipeline of talent. A lot of work has been done to improve the transition of promising swimmers from the learn-to-swim programs. And, then, the quality of coaching that is now progressing young swimmers through the age-group development pathway is excellent. And, assuming we hold true to Forbes and Ursula’s cultural ethos, we should gradually start to see these very well-prepared swimmers moving through to the senior high-performance squads. Already, Liv Wunsch, who won Olympic gold last year, is a shining example of the power of the integrated club system when it works well. As you know, Liv started with us as a tadpole.

"Bill, you were instrumental in helping us attract Chris Nesbit to Carlile a few years ago. In an age when many coaches gravitate to the high-performance hub system, Chris is one of the few coaches in this country with the experience, talent, dedication and tenacity to oversee a large club system of swimmers and coaches. He is, without doubt, one of the world’s most competent coaches, and his ability to develop, grow and motivate our coaching team is truly special."

If all of the above is part of a rich seam of swimming history, there is so much more to say and note about Sweetenham, Member of the Order of Australia (AM), and the far-reach impact he has had in swimming.

Here goes...