In the annals of Australian history, there are many characters who can be described as outlandishly heroic. Crocodile Dundee wrestling gargantuan reptiles, Steve Irwin, explaining, with a gleeful twinkle in his eye, the mating habits of venomous spiders as they inch terrifyingly closer on his arm. Yet not every hero wields a broad Aussie accent and a wide-brimmed hat. Some of them wear mortarboards and college scarves. Enter one Richard Powell Francis, first Oxford Aussie and part-time aquaman. Born in 1860, the year our little land Down Under finally remembered to become a federation, Richard was destined for greatness. It was quickly evident that he was a character far larger than the marsupial population. He was the first Australian to graduate from the venerable Balliol College of Oxford University, a claim to fame that, while impressive, doesn't quite compete with wrestling a saltwater crocodile. But, patience, dear reader, for the best is yet to come. After stuffed shirts, Latin verb conjugations, and musty Oxford libraries, Richard returned to Australia with a craving for some high-stakes adventure. The kind of adventure that inspires Phil Collins songs and Disney movies. The chance arrived in 1893 with a flood in Brisbane that was about as accommodating as a cranky koala robbed of its eucalyptus. It's said that Richard looked upon that tempest-tossed water, rolled up his Oxford-taught sleeves and said, right, these toffs taught me how to speak Latin, but did they teach me how to swim? Well, we don't know, but if not, he was about to give himself a crash course. Our Oxford chap did not flinch but leaped headfirst into the swirling mass of water, mud and probably a couple of stray wallabies. Richard, God love him, outswam that flood like Ian Thorpe at an Olympic final. With heroism that would put Captain Cook to shame, he rescued countless victims stranded by the surge. Never before in the field of Australian flood crises had so many been saved by a patriot so educated. Tragically, the flood took more out of him than classical studies ever did, and in 1894 our Richard, the Oxford Aussie who outswam a flood, left us for the grand library in the sky. These Oxford types – they're always overdoing it. Couldn't rescue in moderation, had to save everyone. Classic overachiever. And so, let us raise a glass of the finest Australian shiraz to Richard Powell Francis, our learned lifesaver. The moral of the story? Even an Oxford education can't keep a good Aussie from getting his feet wet. But, who cares about Latin verb tenses when you can outswim a flood? Richard Powell Francis, we salute you. You outdid Crocodile Dundee – he may have survived colossal reptiles, but you successfully fought an entire flood! How's that for an essay conclusion, Oxford?