LEARN TO SWIM

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 286, 3 December 1941, Page 9

LEARN TO SWIM

DOMINION SCHEME

TEACHING OF SOLDIERS

Swimming instruction on a much wider and more intensive scale is to be carried out in the Dominion, and plans are to be made to teach all soldiers to swim.

Some of the proposals, which are in view, were referred to this morning by Mr. K. C. Reid, in charge of physical education at the Auckland Training College, who has returned after attending a conference, at Christchurch, as the Auckland representative of the Bureau of Coaches and Instruction of the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Asso-1 ciation.

Mr. Reid said that the object of the conference was to endeavour to set up a policy of swimming instruction, and one of the principal things discussed was the co-ordination of the work now being carried out. There was a desire to continue the work and instruction to the postschool community. The bureau also discussed a scheme to be suggested by the New. Zealand Swimming Council to the Minister of Defence for adoption by the Armed Forces.

Mr. Reid added that a scheme in embryo had been started in Christchurch, under the auspices of the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association, whereby selected swimmers from the military camps had attended a course of instruction for a period of a week at the Christchurch baths so as to provide a nucleus to the swimming instruction personnel at the camps. The scheme used through the course was that set out in the well-known pamphlet, "Learn to Swim," and which had been in use for "learn-to-swim" campaigns conducted since 1938. Every endeavour would be made to assist the teaching of soldiers.

Mr. Reid said that as far as Auckland was concerned, it was proposed to take steps to ensure having a scheme allowing for continuity of instruction to be carried from the child to the adult. There would be an endeavour to get purity of style, and to that end the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association would co-operate with the Education Department, and was issuing an additional certificate to schools, which were carrying out the system of teaching swimming, as set out in the Education Department's pamphlet. Progress in Schools The great advance made in swimming, particularly in the schools, was commented upon by Mr. Reid. He said that many of the schools were fortunate in having the facilities needed. An endeavour would be made to teach every child to swim, with at the same time, careful control of method, so that it would be co-ordinated with a policy of physical education. In conclusion, Mr. Reid said that the bureau had established a longterm policy of research of swimming methods throughout the world.