ROYAL LIFE SAVING SOCIETY

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27165, 8 October 1953, Page 9

ROYAL LIFE SAVING SOCIETY

REPORT SHOWS RECORD NUMBER OF AWARDS The issue of 1624 awards for the season, a record for the branch, is recorded in the annual report of tfie Canterbury branch of the Royal Life Saving Society. Records were created in the issue of resuscitation certificates, scholar instructors’ certificates, bronze crosses, bars to bronze crosses, and awards of merit. Twenty-six schools were concerned in producing these figures, the report says. lor the seventh time, the branch won the Sydney J. Monks Memorial Shield, which is open to branches both in Britain and abroad. Since the inception of the shield in 1939 the branch has also twice obtained second place. “We were faced with a considerable amount of work with the new HolgerNeilsen method of artificial respiration, as unfortunately we found that the pamphlet supplied by our central executive was not entirely clear on all points,” the report continues. “Our examiners have spent many hours practising in order that we may have uniformity in the coming season. As a result of this work we are agreed upon the efficiency of the method. “In view of the' difficulties we feel it only fair to state that we were agreeably surprised at the interpretation of the method by our candidates last season, and after this probationary period feel that they will be well able to pass their tests in the future,” says the report. The results of the branch’s excellence competitions are given as follows: breaststroke certificate, resuscitation certificate, 1; elementary certificate, 1; intermediate certificate, 3; bronze medallion. 5; bronze medallion bar, 4; scholar instructor’s certificate, 5; instructor’s certificate (first class), 7; bronze cross, 8; bronze cross bar, 6; award of merit, 12; award of merit bar, 10; diploma, 25.

The branch’s credit balance on August 31 was £125 2s 9d, compared with £3O 0s lid at the end of the previous financial year. Twenty-one schools, 17 swimming and surf clubs, and the Canterbury centre of the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association, are now affiliated to the branch.