John William Barrie Devenport (7 October 1935 – 25 July 2010, often mistakenly reported as "Barrie Davenport") was a New Zealand swimmer and lifesaver who was the first person in modern history to swim Cook Strait.[1]

Devenport was born in Wellington on 7 October 1935.[2] On 20 November 1962, at the age of 27, he swam from Cape Terawhiti in the North Island to Wellington Rock in the South Island in 11 hours, 13 minutes.[3] He was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.[4]

He died in 2010 on the Gold Coast, Australia, after an 18-month battle with cancer.[4]

References

  1. ↑ New Zealand Press Association (26 July 2010). "First man to swim Cook Strait dies". Stuff.co.nz. Fairfax New Zealand. Archived from the original on 28 July 2010. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
  2. ↑ "Births". Evening Post. 8 October 1935. p. 1. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  3. ↑ "Barrie Devenport". New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  4. 1 2 Geenty, Mark (27 July 2010). "Devenport's swim stopped a nation". Dominion Post. Retrieved 23 August 2014.


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