Multi-cultural students benefit from learn to swim classes

On the eve of the holiday season, members of Orange’s multi-cultural community now feel safer around Orange’s water-ways, since the completion of the latest round of swimming classes.

More than twenty local men and women joined in the latest series of weekly classes at the Orange Aquatic Centre.

Orange City Council’s Sport & Recreation committee chair Cr Jason Hamling has congratulated all the members of the latest class.

“There’s a powerful TV commercial running at present which shows that the risk of drowning pays no attention to someone’s age or ethnic background or life experience,” Cr Jason Hamling said.

“While being close to waterways for recreation isn’t necessarily part of every culture around the world, it’s certainly a big part of the picture in Australia.”

“I congratulate each and every one of these local residents who have overcome their lack of early confidence and can now enjoy spending time at the beach or at a pool.”

“With the hot weather coming at the same time as our end of year holidays, it’s no surprise that people will be spending time in the water over the break.

“I’m told some members of this class had never swum before and now they’re jumping into the diving pool. It’s a great achievement.”

The series of classes was funded by a grant from Clubs NSW, and included volunteers from the Mentor Connections group.

Each session started with a water safety talk before the group spent around an hour in the water.

“Some of the pupils are also part of English lessons at TAFE, and there’s nothing like a water safety talk to be a great way of practising their new language skills, “ Cr Jason Hamling said.

SWIMMING: Pupils Somchai Sae Lee, Ernestina Flowers, Dian Nelson and Niemat Darah are pictured with swim teachers Nina Nyitrai and Tanikah Fenech.