Jona Got In The Swim
p. 119 · Read in the full issue
Jona Qoro, 23, a Fijian seaman, won the admiration of a tough Sydney detective after a swim of more than a mile, fully clothed, in Sydney Harbour. But this did not stop the detective from hauling Jona before a Magistrate in Sydney’s Central Court on a charge of assault.
It transpired that Jona, a stockman from the ", Delfl.no”, had assaulted a taxi driver after a dispute over the fare. Jona struck the taxi driver in the stomach during the struggle, and tore the man’s shirt.
According to the detective, £l3/10/- in the pocket of the man’s shirt fell to the roadway, and as the taxi driver called for help Jona ran away and dived into the harbour.
Jona crossed the harbour at one of its narrowest points close to the famous bridge, rested at some moorings, and then went on to the “Delfino Describing Jona’s swim, the detective said: "He swam more than one mile. It was a fantastic swim while fully clothed”.
The Magistrate, who probably shared the detective’s admiration tor Jona, imposed a fine of £2 and ordered Jona to pay £5 compensation to the taxi driver.