John William Barrie Devenport (7 October 1935 – 25 July 2010, often mistakenly reported as "Barrie Davenport") was a New Zealand swimmer and lifesaver who was the first person in modern history to swim Cook Strait.
[2] On 20 November 1962, at the age of 27, he swam from Cape Terawhiti in the North Island to Wellington Rock in the South Island in 11 hours, 13 minutes.
[3] He was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.
[4] He died in 2010 on the Gold Coast, Australia, after an 18-month battle with cancer.
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