Anthony fingleton autobiography in five short

Fingleton grew up in a small neighborhood of Brisbane where most of the men made their weekly earnings working on the wharves and spent those earnings in the pubs. His film illustrates a childhood saturated with pain: his father and brother were alcoholics, his mother attempted suicide, his family struggled with poverty, he competed with his brother to the point of estrangement, and his father abused all of them, psychologically and physically.

Fingleton escaped from his domestic problems in the cool waters of the neighborhood pool. Near his home was an indoor swimming pool that cost only a penny for admission, and in the hot Australian summers, he and his brothers and sister often found themselves there. Later on, the pool became more than just a haven from the heat—it became a haven from their father, Harold.

After Harold came to watch Fingleton and his siblings at the pool one day, it suddenly transformed from a safe refuge to a place where his father could exercise enormous power over the boys. Seeing success for his sons through swimming, Harold drilled the two boys incessantly, waking them up for practice before dawn, and stoking a fire of competition between his two sons.

Despite the unbelievable stress, Fingleton saw swimming as a path to a happier life. The scene in which the young Tony makes that fateful decision on film is fraught with dramatic tension, but the real-life Fingleton only recalls the choice with excitement. Later, an ecstatic young Tony tries to convince his reluctant mother that Harvard is the right place for him.

As it turns out, he was correct. In other projects. Wikidata item. Australian swimmer. Medal record. British Empire and Commonwealth Games Perth yd backstroke. Add an optional check-in date. Check-in dates are used to track yearly reading goals. End Date: Year: Year Month: Month January February March April May June July August September October November December Day: Day 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Today.

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