What makes you smile?
Cameron & Phillip and the 2026 Cameron&Co Open Water Swim Series
My sunrise swim
Not everyone stands on the shore of Magnetic Island and thinks about swimming back to Townsville. But that's exactly what Cameron is training to do.
Every morning he joins a group of ocean swimmers at the Strand to prepare for the annual Townsville Open Water Swimming Association (TOWSA) 8km Magnetic Island to Townsville swim.
Cameron&Co are proudly sponsoring this year's swim series, which also included the Snorezzz Strand Swim.
We're cheering him on and we'd love for you to join us.
Watching the sun come up every day
If you know Phillip, you'll know what we mean when we say "everyone knows him". He's an active member of the community, volunteers with Meals on Wheels and owns the family-run boutique Salt 66. If you haven't met him yet, there's a good chance you'll run into him soon.
Phillip has been coming to Cameron&Co to keep his smile healthy for a long time. Not only that, Phillip and Cameron are neighbours and they're both mad keen swimmers.
Phillip lives by the adage that good habits are just as easy to form as bad ones so he swims every day, without exception. "There is no decision," he says, "it's a given." Every morning he's up before the sun, watching it rise over the water.
It's a pretty good way to live.
Phillip is not just passionate about swimming. He's also obsessed with history and archaeology, and has combined all three by swimming over ancient sunken Roman ruins in Naples.
Even his dogs are named after the Romans. This is Tarquin, who loves to join Phillip on his morning swims.
Phillip used to run and ski, but when those got too hard on his body he faced what felt like a heroic choice. He said he could have "fallen to his knees" but instead he took up swimming, and never looked back.
Phillip loves the Voltaire quote: "We must cultivate our garden." For Phillip, that means showing up for the people around you. Here in Townsville, he believes individuals can really make a difference.
Swimming might seem like a solitary pursuit, but for Phillip, Cameron and their fellow ocean swimmers it's anything but. After their morning training sessions, the group gathers at Juliette's Gelateria for coffee and a chat.
Phillip describes swimming with others as "companionable isolation." Out in the open water, immersed in nature, but never really alone.
