LEARN TO SWIM MOVEMENT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 23 November 1938, Page 6

LEARN TO SWIM MOVEMENT

SUPPORT IN CANTERBURY AIM TO PRODUCE 75.000 SWIMMERS CHRISTCHURCH. This Day. Unanimous approval of a scheme to teach 75.000 people to swim this summer and of a plan to fix a minimum subscription of 10s a year for each senior club member, with the object of providing a Dominion-wide coaching system, wa; forthcoming at a special meeting of the Canterbury Swimming Cen- ! tre last evening. Both projects were explained in detail by the president of the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association ! (Mr F. G. Dunn), who traversed the conclusions reached at a conference of the centres in Wellington last week. Mr Dunn remarked that he hoped to address every centre in New Zealand on the plans proposed. “If and when the coaching scheme

reaches maturity it will reach every club and every swimmer in New Zealand.” Mr Dunn said. “It is not a scheme to make a champion world-beat-er, but to make the mediocre swimmer a good swimmer and make the person who can’t swim a swimmer.”

Referring to the big learn to swim movement, Mr Dunn explained that the Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. W. E. Parry), had put a trust on the association to teach 75.000 persons to swim and it was up to Canterbury to find its quota of 100 men required to carry out the scheme.

Mr V. G. Spiller, who presided, assured Mr Dunn that the centre would pull its weight in a scheme to produce 75.000 swimmers.