Family’s endeavour to be safe

Siblings enrolled in Nippers

FOR Cairns mum Rachael Wynberg, teaching her four children to swim has been one of her greatest achievements.

Having learnt how to swim at a young age herself and now the holder of a Royal Life Saving Bronze Medallion, she said water safety was a top priority.

“From six weeks old I took them in the pool because being a local girl I can’t think of any greater gift of giving them than teaching them to swim,” Mrs Wynberg said.

“You don’t want kids to have that fear of water, it’s good for them to have a healthy respect for the water.

“My kids’ preference is probably to swim in the ocean, they love the ocean, but you have to be able to swim in the pool first to be good in the ocean.”

Mrs Wynberg’s four children are part of the Nippers program with the Ellis Beach Surf Life Saving Club and train about four days a week.

She supports the Cairns Post’s S. O. S – Save our Schoolkids campaign to introduce compulsory swimming lessons for primary school students.

The S.O.S. campaign has called on the state government to fund compulsory programs in schools that are benchmarked and equip students with swimming and water safety skills.

The campaign would include students having to meet criteria such as swimming 50m, treading water for two minutes and recognising potential dangers.

Mrs Wynberg said joining nippers had given her children new skills and confidence in and out of the water, as well as pathways for their future.

Her eldest, Anastasia, 13, won the state swimming championship last year and will attend the state surf lifesaving championships next month.

“It’s a good movement for the kids to be in and it gives them so many opportunities,” she said.

“It’s got to be one of the best family involved community activities ... why wouldn’t you want to join?”

Ellis Beach Surf Life Saving Club president Brett Olds said the club had about 300 members, about 100 of which were children.

“(Teaching kids to swim) is important, it’s one of the most important skills to have, especially when you live on the coast,” he said.

“We get kids trained up from 18 months old, getting them to hang onto the side of the pool.”

As well as patrolling the local beach and promoting water safety, Ellis Beach Surf Life Saving Club was named the best in the state in 2017.