LOCAL swimming instructor Pud Williams is reminding local parents of the importance of ensuring their children know how to swim after startling drowning figures were released by the Royal Life Saving Society this week.
The Royal Life Saving Society has revealed that in NSW alone, there have been 54 near-drownings in the past 10 days (as of Monday, January 16) and 2000 rescues since Christmas day.
The figures also show that there have been 107 drowning deaths in NSW in 2010/2011 and only 8 per cent of people in NSW know how to give CPR.
Mr Williams has been a swimming instructor for more than 40 years and has taught hundreds of children to swim.
Mr Williams said this summer so far has been a busy season for his learn to swim school, which is run from his backyard heated pool in Sutton Street.
“My instructors and I work from about 8.30am until 2.30pm each week day, there can be up to four kids in the water at any time, so overall we are averaging teaching about 50 kids a day how to swim,” Mr Williams said.
He said this year he has been surprised by the number of older children who he has seen who have no or very little swimming ability.
“Some of the older children admittedly have come to us for stroke correction and swimming refreshment lessons, however the children, no matter what age who can’t swim are the worry, they are the ones we will read and hear about in the media who have tragically drowned,” Mr Williams said.
With recent media reports suggesting that an increased level of swimming lessons should be made compulsory in schools, Mr Williams agrees, however if introduced Mr Williams believes all swim teachers should be accredited.
“Kids should be taught how to swim from a young age and taught properly,” Mr Williams said.
“Learning to swim is a vital life saving skill.”
“Along with their normal swimming, learning the strokes and techniques, they also learn survival skills in accordance with their level,” Mr Williams told the Herald.
The Royal Life Saving Society says that around 50,000 children in NSW are leaving school every year without being able to swim.
”The fact that there are so many children who are leaving school and are unable to swim is distressing, especially in a society where so many people own swimming pools,” Mr Williams said.
Also a hot topic in mainstream media is a push by the St John’s Ambulance Service, Royal Life Saving Society and Surf Life Saving to see compulsory CPR training included in the national school curriculum.
“I think this is a brilliant idea, one I would happily like to see introduced in secondary schools,” Mr Williams said.
As a swimming instructor, Mr Williams places the majority of teaching children how to swim on parents.
“It is the parent’s responsibility to get children used to the water and basic swimming skills, the younger the better, is what I always say,” Mr Williams said.
Mr Williams believes one of the important factors in preventing children from drowning is supervision.
“Supervision is the key to saving lives, parents often assume someone else is watching their children, never ever assume,” Mr Williams said.
“Supervise children around any water source at all times, this combined with learning to swim skills will save our children from drowning.”
“Parents also need to be aware that children can drown in any type of water source, including the bath, a puddle or even a bucket of water let alone in the back yard swimming pool, farm dam or river.”
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