Former Australian Olympic swimmer Lisa Curry has given away two treasured possessions, which were once worn by her late daughter.
The seven-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist handed over swimsuits to a pair of young girls when she travelled to the outback city of Broken Hill.
Swimmers from Mildura and as far away as Adelaide made their way to the silver city for the swim meet, where Curry was a guest.
"I can't speak highly enough about her and what it did for swimming in Broken Hill," Broken Hill Aquatic Stingrays committee member and parent Ben Victory said.
"All the kids really took something out of it."
More than a swim meet
While the weekend away was welcomed by the local swimming community, the trip had a separate meaning for Lisa Curry, who lost her daughter, 33-year-old Jaimi-Lee, in 2020 after battling a long-term illness related to an eating disorder.
"I was in Broken Hill 36 years ago, and I met a little girl then. Her name was Jaimi Lee," Ms Curry said.
"She was a beautiful little girl, and I said if I ever have a daughter, I'm going to call her Jaimi Lee, which I did."
The trip was made even more memorable for two young girls, who were bestowed personal gifts by the former Olympian.
"When my daughter passed away, I kept all her things," Ms Curry said.
"When I was unpacking, I found two, of her swimsuits, and I decided to bring them to Broken Hill, and I gave them to two of the swimmers.
"So, it's very special to be able to pass on something that was very special to my daughter to kids here in Broken Hill, which is where I first named my child from," she said.
'Tears of happiness'
Ms Curry said she gave it to two girls named Sienna and Mackenzie.
"I gave them to Sienna, who loves her swimming and is probably going to go into ocean swimming," she said.
"And a little girl called Mackenzie who won her first-ever medal."
It was a special moment for both of the girls, according to Mackenzie's father, Ben Victory.
"It meant so much to her," Mr Victory said.
"She had some tears of happiness."
The visit also included a Q and A session with the Commonwealth gold medallist, which was organised by one of the local clubs.
"I love doing these sorts of events," Ms Curry said.
"My story is just my story, and I like to give the kids something … they can take away with them."
Mr Victory thanked everyone, including the "muso's, for making the day "so special".
"She [Lisa] was really stoked, and words can't describe how good the whole weekend was," he said.
