It was 15 years ago that a piece of Tamworth burrowed into Nicolas Monet's heart during his summer of discovery as a coach at the Tamworth City Swimming Club.
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And it was 11 years ago that the Frenchman returned to Tamworth with his family to once again coach at the club, but this time put down roots as his family immersed themselves in a culture far removed from Lille, in northern France, where they came from.
Following the conclusion of the NSW Senior State Age Championships at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre next week, the father of four will farewell the club and Tamworth after landing a plum coaching job The Southport School (TSS) on the Gold Coast.
The famed swimming nursery produced five Tokyo Olympians, including Cameron McEvoy, Kiah Melverton and Maddy Gough.
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Monet will head the school's junior swimming program - a key link in the development of some of the country's best swimmers, as the school rebuilds its swimming programs following the departure of leading athletes.
At age 55, he has achieved a major career advancement - reward for the gamble he took when he relocated Tamworth, and recognition of the high esteem he is held in, both as a mentor and a man.
"It's beautiful and perfectly sums up what he means to us and the community," Tamworth City committee member Andrew Pearson said of Monet and a photo he recently took of the coach, in which he is mobbed by his charges.
Monet said returning to Tamworth City in 2011 was "like a dream coming true". He said his family had "such a good time" in Tamworth when he worked at the club during the 2007-08 summer, after he responded to a job-vacancy ad.
It's beautiful and perfectly sums up what he means to us and the community.
- Andrew Pearson
"I said, 'Woah, it's impressive - all the families and the swimming and the energy on the pool deck'. Outside of the pool deck the parents were willing to spend so much energy to develop that club.
"But I said, 'All this energy needs to be worth it; you need to look at year-round programs'. So when I left, I left this idea in minds. And four years later, the [job] ad came up again and I applied for it.
"But I said, 'Let's develop a year-round swimming [program]'. And that's what happened."
He added: "It went pretty well. Because we [the Monets] were thinking of staying maybe two-and-a-half years ... and we stayed 11 years. So that says it all."
Monet believes he got the TSS job because the school is rebuilding its swimming programs from the ground up. He said he was "good at that", adding that the new job was a chance for him to "grow as a coach".
"It's an amazing swimming culture [at TSS]," he said. "So, for me, it was very hard to refuse that position. It's very rewarding to be accepted, because, of course, there were many applicants to get that job.
"And to work with all the coaches - very experienced coaches, very professional. So, for me, it's an upgrade [professionally] and a very big opportunity."
Tamworth City president Narelle Burke said Monet had been instrumental in the club's growth and improved results. And like all good coaches, she said he had augmented the athletic development of his charges with their personal development.
"It's been absolutely wonderful that he's been able to stay as long as he has, because every child that's swum under him has benefitted, I believe," she said.
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