Graham Cole's Woollahra home on the market

The Cole family have listed their Woollahra home following the recent death of Ann Cole, the widow of Graham Cole, the 1983 founder of the Cole Classic.

There's an image of the big race competitors in the kitchen at the Moncur Street home that goes to June 23 auction.

Aged 71, Graham Cole died soon after his morning dip at Bondi in December 1999, promoting Sunday Telegraph columnist Piers Akerman to note the Classic was "not so much a race but a personal challenge, an opportunity for individuals to quietly enjoy a sense of personal achievement at being part of a great event".

When Cole was working to establish the first Cole Classic in 1983, he explained it was be a trigger for "persons to involve themselves in the self-discipline required to get fit; obtain confidence in their ability through swimming, to achieve pride in having performed something that is, perhaps, slightly above average".

The Woollahra home was bought in 1996 for $780,000 after the couple sold their Vaucluse home that was designed by the noted architect Professor Leslie Wilkinson. 

Jeanette Ann passed away peacefully at home in January this year aged 84 years. They had three boys, Walter, Christopher and Nicholas.

There's just the two bedroom at the home which has a Georgian-style facade. There's a romantic walled garden and self-contained studio.

This article first appeared in The Sunday Telegraph.