TEACHING CHILDREN TO SWIM

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 97, 20 January 1944, Page 3

TEACHING CHILDREN TO SWIM

Wellington Centre’s Work The work undertaken by the Wellington, Centre of the New Zealand Amateur bwimming Association in conjunction With the Wellington Education Board in teaching the non-swimmer children of the schools of the Wellington Education District.was praised by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr. Parry, yesterday. There was, he said, no instruction more useful and enjoyable than that which made the young people at the schools efficient swimmers. The board and the members of the centre were to be commended on the soundness of their judgment in undertaking the work. The scheme in Wellington, continued Mr. Parry, would be centralized in the Thorndon municipal baths, where Mrs. Tjah McCabe, official instructress, working on a voluntary basis, was coaching each week some 500 non-swimmers drawn from 25 city and suburban schools. Mrs. McCabe used a method of her own devising which, while emphasizing a graceful style and leading (o the ‘‘six-beat’’ crawl, was rapid and effective and admirably adapted to the (caching of large numbers of non-swimmers. The same method, slightly modified, was employed by the coaches .in the current adult “learn-tb-sw’im” campaign. With a view to bringing the new method of instruction to the attention of school teachers, swimming club officials and the general public, a tour of the Wairarapa was made in December by Wellington centre representatives. Demonstrations were given in Featherston, Martinborough. Carterton and Masterton. At each of these places a group of .20 to 30 non-swimmers from the local schools was put through stages one and two of the course —taking about an hour —with •he result that approximately 75 per cent, of tbqse presented were taught, to .swim. A similar demonstration was planned for Wellington, being fixed tentatively for