More than 500 swimmers and just as many spectators from 85 public schools across the 14 districts of the western region attended.

All ran quickly and efficiently with no long queues and the use of 10 lanes allowed quicker movement through events.

Swimtech allowed the use of their timing gear which made it easy to have timed finals and the carnival ran smoothly due to the assistance of so many officials.

Events started at 10am with the 100m freestyle, then the age freestyle, breast stroke, small school relays and individual 200m medleys with lunch at 1pm and ahead of schedule.

After lunch the backstroke and butterfly was followed by the boys and girls relays and most events had three large heats.

There were several records broken including Angus Parsons from Calare Public in Orange swimming 36.25 seconds in the senior backstroke to break a record that had stood for 22 years.

The small school relays are always keenly contested and this year both the Peter Dobson relay and the Earl McGee relay records were broken.

Some schools have no water or pool and must travel large distances to train.

The Western Region team will compete at the PSSA State swimming trials at Homebush on April 4-5.

Remarkably the 19 different relay teams will be represented by 19 different schools: Cobar PS, Dubbo South PS, Middleton PS, Orange PS, Forbes PS, Cudgegong Valley PS, Nyngan PS, Calare PS, Eglinton PS, Condobolin PS, Mulyan PS, Orange Small Schools, Corinella PS, Cumnock PS, Quandialla PS, The Lagoon PS, Hermidale PS, Cargo PS and Burcher PS.

There will 64 swimmers in individual events with some in as many as five events.

Dubbo swimmers include Max Cowley, Kerrod Potter, Keely Potter, Sarah Valantine, Thomas Hine, Joseph Stageman, Amelia Prince, Ashlee Rowe (Dubbo South) and Georgia Smith form Dubbo North.

Kadeem Bamblett and Catherine Preistly will represent Gilgandra while Bourke's Cody and Raymond Simmons will be looking forward to their first trip to state.

Cobar's Georgia Baker will be competing in four events, Nyngan will have Letitia Whiley, Emily Bandi and Tayal Martin and Narromine has Hadley Coffee.

Thank you to Paul Colla

who organised students from Dubbo Senior College to assist as officials as well as staff and parents from schools who assisted with timekeeping and ensuring all swimmers were at their race on time.

Also thank you to the pool staff, school principals, Peter and Carla from Western Sport for assistance in preparation and organisation and referee Chris Evans who travelled from the Blue Mountains.