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Quacker race

Peter Bannan

THEY say a duck’s quack doesn’t echo, but the Swan Hill State Emergency Service’s 27th annual duck race will reverberate through the annals of time.

Punters of all ages and creeds arrived at Riverside Park on Friday morning in readiness for cheering on thousands of plastic yellow ducks.

The fierce competition kicked off at 2pm when 2000 ducks, all numbered individually, were dumped into the river, racing towards the finish line just before the Swan Hill – Murray River Road bridge.

“Track conditions have been classified as wet and humid,” boomed commentator and Country Fire Authority volunteer Howard Jochs.

The event packed out just minutes before the race, which started off slowly as some ducks appeared unable to find the current to head downstream.

For more on this story, pick up a copy of today’s (Monday, January 3) The Guardian…

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