Pearse has inspired the region through his journey as a talented swimmer through to his glorious bronze in the 100m butterfly in Tokyo back in 2021 and gold at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
As Pearse explained to the 200-strong crowd, the bronze remains the highlight for the Australian superstar, admitting his mind flashed back to the now famous makeshift swimming pool on the family’s farm dam.
“Everything was still and I remember standing on the blocks and thinking about the dam training,” Pearse said.
“I stood there, and when they said “take your marks,” I was just trying not to false start.
“I just wanted to bring something back home and show what the hard work has brought.
“If anyone hasn’t seen the post-race interview, I highly recommend watching it.
“To this day, I still haven’t watched that interview. I don’t even answer the question, I just cry for five minutes straight.”
As a three-time winner of the Echuca-Moama Sportstar Award — 2016 and 2019 as a junior and 2020-21 as a senior winner — Pearse has been a constant feature of the awards as he progressed through the ranks of Australian swimming.
Now based in Melbourne, the proud country boy admitted the journey hasn’t been without its struggles, but support from the Bamawm community and family had helped him reach new heights.
“I love being called a country kid,” he said.
“Living in Melbourne now, everyone can rip in about the accent and coming from a farm, but it’s one of those things you wear with pride.
“The support means everything, and there’s a rich history of athletes from Bamawm Extension.”
These were just some of the anecdotes Pearse imparted on the crowd, but what awaits the boy from Bamawm in 2023?
If successful at World Championships qualification swims in April, Pearse will return to the World Championships in Manchester in May before turning his attention to the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
Outside of the pool, Pearse will start university studying media, and will make an appearance on SBS’s The Cook Up with Adam Liaw, which is set to go to air on March 8.
