DO IT FOR THE KIDS
FORMER OLYMPIANS DIVE INTO SWIM CAMPAIGN
CAIRNS Olympian Chris Wright has been swimming for almost as long as he could walk, so he admitted he was shocked to find out it was not a compulsory part of school.
The 29-year-old, who represented Australia at the 2012 London Olympics, first learnt to swim at the former Edmonton pool when he was two and said his parents had considered water safety a top priority.
Now a father himself, the retired butterflier and wife Mel, an Olympian gold medallist, are adamant their daughter Madison, who turns one next week, will be water wise.
“We don’t care if she becomes a swimmer or not, we just want her to be safe in the water,” the former Bentley Park College student said.
“I can’t believe it’s not compulsory in schools.
“It should be every term in primary school, once a week or once a fortnight, and continue that in high school.
“I think there’s no price you can put on a child’s life.”
The couple wholeheartedly support the Cairns Post’s S.O.S – Save our Schoolkids campaign, alongside all other News Queensland publications, to introduce compulsory swimming lessons for primary school students.
Now based on the Gold Coast, Mr Wright has been coaching at some of the area’s high schools and said he was shocked to find teenagers who couldn’t swim.
He and Mel have been introducing Madison to water as early as possible, even simple procedures like tipping water over her head in the bath.
She had her first lesson at four months of age and is continuing to learn with former Australian swim coach and water safety advocate Laurie Lawrence.
Mr Wright said his entire childhood was spent around water in local creeks and swimming holes in Cairns and the Far North climate made water safety even more important.
“What I remember as kids was going and playing in creeks, your parents had pools, your friends had a pool,” he said.
“(Not teaching children to swim) is a risk that shouldn’t be taken.
“We all spent our lives swimming, so it’s scary knowing some people can’t swim.”