Every Day Is Harmony Week For Swimmer

Cook Islands swimmer Wesley Roberts is adamant every day is ‘Harmony Week’ when he trains with the New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) Swimming squad – a team of mates who push him to be his best.

Harmony Week, which goes from March 20-26, celebrates the nation’s diversity and brings together Australians from different backgrounds. For Roberts, one of 28,000 people of Cook Islander heritage who call Australia ‘home’, the bonds he’s forged at NSWIS since being granted a Training Agreement have made him feel as though he truly belongs to the institute’s swimming squad.

“I think a large role of [my feeling as though I’m part of the team] is due to Adam Kable, the Head Coach,” said Roberts, who, along with fellow swimmer Kirsten Fisher-Masters, was the Cook Islands flagbearer at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics.

“He creates an environment around being a team and being together, which is hard to do in an individual sport like swimming.

“The group he’s put together, including the support staff at NSWIS, has been great for us and I have always felt welcome. We’ve had a few different people [train with the squad] and I’ve never had any issues with feeling included regardless of whether I’m actually Australian or not.”

Roberts, who created history for his tiny nation at the 2016 Oceania Swimming Championships by winning its first gold medal at an international swimming event, said his NSWIS squad members had helped push him to reach other heights, including his competing at the Olympics, the Commonwealth Games, and world swimming championships.

“My squad mates mostly,” he replied when asked to nominate – outside of Kable – the biggest influence on his swimming with NSWIS.

“I spend close to 30 hours with them a week. We’ve been in the trenches . . .  there’s been some tough sessions and tough times. I’ve always looked at them to pull me through at the end of the day. So, besides Adam, I’d say my squad mates.”

Roberts and his family moved to Australia because his parents wanted their children to attend school here. However, the 25-year-old believes all Aussies would do well to take a leaf out of NSWIS’s swimming squad’s book in terms of embracing people from different backgrounds and making them feel that they belong.

“It’s got everything to do with mental wellbeing,” he said of being made welcome. “I never have to think twice about being included in the environment I’m in because I’ve felt so welcome.

“[My message] for other kids who are looking to come to Australia, to come to NSW and to potentially participate in other sports here, is I’ve never had any problems. I’ve always felt welcome.

“In terms of Harmony Week, I think sport is a great way of inclusivity. Harmony Week is about inclusiveness and bringing people together. For us, that’s sport. We use sport as an opportunity to bring everyone together.

“Yes, it’s competitive, but we shake hands at the end and we’re all very good friends.”

NSWIS scholarship holder Bradley Woodward, who has trained alongside Roberts for five years, said the swimmer known on the international circuit as the ‘Atiu Rocket’ after the island he hails from, added a lot to the squad.

“He’s great culturally for the squad,” said Woodward. “He’s a hard worker; one of those guys who are always there . . . super positive . . . and he always wants to rip in.

“When you have those people in the squad it’s so much easier to train, and to train well.”

Woodward, who felt great pride in seeing his NSWIS squad mate bestowed the honour of being his nation’s flag bearer at the Tokyo Olympics, said Harmony Week was a “positive” time.

“It’s great that everyone can come together and really build something – especially in sport,” he said.

“Certainly, there’s lots of things around at the moment that are less than harmonious, but I think being able to bring everyone together and celebrate unity is very cool.”

Daniel Lane, NSWIS