100,000 AWARDS TO CHILDREN LAST YEAR

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28414, 22 October 1957, Page 11

100,000 AWARDS TO CHILDREN LAST YEAR

Last year for the first time the number of certificates and seals issued to schoolchildren for graduated proficiency in swimming passed the 100,OQO mark, according to the annual report of the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association. The report will be presented at the annual meeting of the association in Christchurch on October 26 and 28.

"When it is remembered that only a few years ago, 30,000 awards was regarded as highly satisfactory, evidence is supplied of the remarkable strides that have been made in teaching swimming to children,” says the secretary (Mr Baxter O'Neill) in the

report. “In this work the Education Department, and particularly the physical education branch, play a very potent part. We are now reaching the stage where the staffs of almost ail schools include teachers who are proficient in dealing with swimming, and the consequences are reflected in the larger numbers of children who learn.”

Although statistics are not available, it was a fairly safe claim that a greater proportion of children were taught to swim in Neyv Zealand than in any other country in the world, says Mr O'Neill.

“All but four centres reported higher figures than in the previous year. Six centres reported centre records, and Wellington, in estab-

lishing a new centre record of 17.743. also created a Dominion record.” says Mr O’Neill. “Of the four centres which recorded decreases, only one was substantial —Waikato dropped from 9006, in 1956, to 3809, in 1957.

“The progressive growth in membership of the association noted in past years has continued, and for the first time has exceeded 20,000,” he said. “There were unusually large membersrhips reported by some of the clubs. The newly-formed Onehunga club returned a membership of 847, which as far as I am aware, is a record for the association.”