SWIMMING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14531, 19 November 1910, Page 10

SWIMMING.

y • ' •* , : ' ' . ' :* ; UFE-SAYING SOCIETY.: " "The ladies' classes were put through water ..drill and swimming instructions last Times* <hv evening, - about- 20 taking to the water. Tlie instruction will be continued in tie ; Baths every Tuesday ; and j ThrrwcisT. - Members unable to swim will '••fib! instructed in swimming urifl. "The water has become very much warmer, and every is-.ladv member of the society is expected to 1. attend at this bathe each evening. "Glasses will be formed at Leys Institute .-"3jforemen and boys cert Monday evening. .All desirous o! being instructed in swim- ! ming and life-saving are requested to at-A-ieatL : _ : ; All Saints', Ponsonby No. 2, and-North-cot© Scout* are receiving instruction, and v, „it is expected thai before Christmas the 4 -whole of tfco scouts will be taken in hand, ' -and instructed in swimming and life-saving. -sag- ' ' ?$t Classes for ladies, and men will be formed ifek-; &coct Monday ©wooing,- under Mr. Paul MoKamee, isi the Scout Hall, Northcoie, and .»i 2 be instructed twice? weekly in- water S',v, : and on land. ' 'I . Mr. Paul McNamee is ' arranging for a j team to give an. exhibition at the Waite-y-4matA swimming carnivaL 'Die team will . ,-he thft members who passed the hronse j 7 medallion test held by Mr. Henry, Mr. A. Davie# (Olympic representative for Britiiih .. Xeies, 1905), aad Mr. Wright, » visitor from 1 ',„NW South Wales../ : ■ In the para«r3oh published in these notes l ft week referring to . previous life-saving fcfe. s»vemento^^x«^ was made to the fact "iS»t no medallions or certificate*,' were issued then. That reference was prompted by the fact that Mr. W. M. Henry during iySTos' recent visit to Auckland issued medallions and certificates to several persons who, . according to the Royal Life-saving Society's \ rules, wen? adeemed competent to rescue a drowning .• person. This ;• paragraph • '.r scionslj has opened up a life-saving question ;vS: which has tfor years ' caused , considerable . discussion hfere, # aud. has «oly recently been ■ . f settled, as the result of the efforts of local enthusiasts. | >. ■ . t* The headquarters of the N.Z.A.S. Asso- ■ ; ciation, both competitive and humane divisions, were originally,in Auckland. - About "-*3897, by- amicable arrangement, the bead#*ij<|wn4ere:. of • the competitive section were *; removed to Christchurch, the humane divi- ', Bion being controlled from Auckland, with Roland Bt. Clair as president. and Mr J. H. MiLckje as registrar. The principal objects of the -humane division arte— (1) ; -To ensure that all swimmers who have imperilled their lives or- been instrumental life shall receive suitable recognir". tioh thereof. (2) To promote technical eduX ;.cation in life-saving and resuscitation of the . JfPP aren^^J r drowned. (3) To accord recozni--r # on , on application, by awards as ttndcr-' xioted, to all life-tsalvoM . who, m this ; . Dominion, by means of the art of swimminor, shall have rescued human life from - pent of the sea. or inland waters:— of the Legion of Heroism (gold), commemo- • rative of Sir, George Grey. Allotted to the . most meritorious case in each year. Star of the Legion of Heroism (silver) : Allotted each year to cases in the eocond order of merit. Medallion of the Legion of Heroism j; > (bronze); Allottee. to ail legionaries in •, the . third ? order of merit. Vellum , certificates will be issued to all zM- life-salvor*, irrespective of risk incurred. Proficiency certificates will bo issued to all swimmers who pass the pre- . - scribed examination in lifo-savinj? drill. In >r ; ,'/Accordance with these objects, Star of tho ■ \ Legion ;' of Heroism certificates earned : Several years ago have recently been issued as , follows: —Wynn Eees, formerly of Auckland, now of Perth; W.A. Daniel Sullivan, i -of • Helensville; Geo. Jas. Rogers, of Nel-Son-street, Auckland; Mrs. Gretchen Niccol; \ (deceased), formerly ot Devonport, Auck-j ; land;, and Alexander Foster, of Devon-; ; port. In 1806, by arrangement, the head-! . quarters of tho humans division ; were alsoremoved to Christchurch. 1 -The certificates! under discussion (for actual saving of life) - were not considered in writing the paragraph, which merely had reference to Royal Lifcaavmg Society certificates of proficiency.

notes AND COMMENTS. . The annual meeting of the' Auckland Cen- j tre Mow /Zealand Amateur Swimming Association, will be held on Tuesday next. The ■ meeting is °P® n to all members of affiliated • clubs, and will bo held in the sport's club j o p.m. ||^? n w CO rr d °k nco with the relatives j of-the late W. K. Duncan was passed at jggjiffitefe meeting of the. Auckland Centre result of overtures made by tho -. Swimming Club to . the City - has authorised the placing of turning boards in the" Custom '• The boards will • be tarred being placed in position,

and this is expected to add to their length of lifo. The annual cleaning of the bathing pool will take place next, week, and bathing will only be permissible at high water. - The programme for the _ Waitemata Swimming Club's ooening carnival has been passed by the- Auckland centre. Entries • for aS events will close next Saturday. - . W. J. Gibbons, who was disqualified in 1907, is again making apnhcation for reinstatement. The suspension was imposed on him by tho Auckland centre, and last season that body recommended to the Now Zealand Council that the disqualification be removed, but for reasons best known to themselves the members of the New Zealand Council declined to accede to. Auckland's recommendation. Gibbons, who was successful to an unusual degree for a .period of : three years prior . -to his disqualification, has Binco been instrumental in saving, life from drowning in the Auckland harbour on four occasions. Local swimmers consider | that as he has served a lengthy periou his ! meritorious deeds should also carry some I weight. There is a feeling hero that if the ■ New Zealand Council does not gracefully accodo at an early date to the Auckland centre's recommendation an effort will bo made to force their hands. Mr. Dan Joslin, of the Thorndon Club, ono of the real enthusiasts of the veteran brigade, will shortly return to the Old Country says the Wellington correspondent of the Canterbury Times. Ho will spend his declining years on the superannuation ho will receive from the Now Zealand Government. In his own way he has done a lot for swimming, and his energy, and vigor at his ago are a credit to himself and swimming. Tho writer of these notes, who met Mr, Joslin in Auckland last summer and renewed old acquaintanceship, - remembers tho extreme enthusiasm of the veteran. The bathers at the Northern end of Wellington had to go into the open sea at the concrete steps, near the Esplanade Hotel, for some years between the time when the old Thorndon baths were destroyed by tidal wave ono Easter, and the new structure and enclosure was built. At first there was no protection from either the weather or public gaze, but lis tho result of public agitation a six-foot iron fence and asphalt floor were placed round the top of the stops. In these' conditions Mr. Joslin used >o bathe all tlto year round. Despite his advanced age be is still of a vigorous athletic typo and loves to indulge in long walks. ** Of the seven straightaway English championships, six have been secured by the Australian, F. E. Boaurepairo, and one, the long distance, by an Englishman. In that event, Beaurepair did not compete. Thus all the honours have gone away from England (savs tho-London Sportsman). _ Nobody will grudge tie young Australian his success. The conduct of his tour has been amateur in every way, and he has shown himself to bo a sportsman. Under euch circumstances defeat has its compensations, i When, however, our champions are beaten by men who have no right to bo in the amateur ranks at all it is different. . Some ■ of the Australian champions who have visited us were not above suspicion. Beaurepair©, too; has been managed by a gen- : tleman, which makes all the difference, : Beaurepairo' performance in winning the i six events is a record for a visitor to England. No / other visitor has done so well. Better, however, has been accomplished by one of our own men. Jack did exactly the same thing in four consecutive years, whilst in 1893 and 1894- ho also took tho long-distance championship as . well. But a marvellous alteration has been brought about in the intervening 14 year# in the times.