SWIMMING AND LIFE-SAVING EXHIBITION

Horowhenua Chronicle, 18 March 1915, Page 2

SWIMMING AND LIFE-SAVING EXHIBITION

CLUJ 1' OR MED IN LJSVIN. At tiie municipal swimming baths yostorday altornoon eight members of the Wellington branch of the Royal Lilo-enving Society gave an exhibition oi swimming and life-saving. The prophecy of the Town Clerk that there wouii! lie a huge attendance 011 account of it being a free show was borne out. The majority of those present were juveniles and there was a large attendance of ladies. A squad of boys from the Training Farm also was present. The visitors, accompanied by Mr Id-ill, secretary of the Wellington branch of the Society, arrived by the .New Plymouth train and were shown round the town by the Mayor and Councillors, and afterwards entertained at lunch at the Grand Hotel. After the exhibition at -the baths they visited the Ladies' Croquet Olub garden party at the bowling green. They left for "Wellington by the Napier train. At the baths, the Mayor, in a brief speech... explained the objects of the visit and Mr Hill enumerated the large number of deaths, some of them in this district that have occurred through drowning. Tn some cases death resulted because of the ignorance of the procedure in the case of the apparently drowned. The Royal Life-saving Society was a world-wide organisation, and His Majesty the King was its patron. Everyone should have a knowledge of swimming, ami know how to act in the case of the apparently drowned. He was sorry to say that the school teachers throughout the country had not done as much as they might have done in imparting knowledge in the above directions.

Practical demonstrations of the different methods of laying hold <*f and rescuing a, drowning person and tbe resuscitation of the patient were first on the land and afterwards in the water by the swim mere, and Mr Shield gave an extremely interesting exhibition of various tricks ill the water, and another members performed the diffi' iilt ta*k of undressing in the water There was one raoe, 75 yards, won 1;y Mr Perry, who has one arm off at + he elbow. Mr Perry holds the Order rf Merit, of the Society. The exhibition, was a most interfacing and instructive one, and if such exhibitions can be given regularly, they won!.! do much towards bringing about interest in swimming, and the estal)li.shiii!i of a class in Levin. The visitors desrve the hearty thanks of the people here for their exhibition yesterday. At tho close of the performance steps were nt once taken to from a local swimming and life-saving club, and the names of 20 assured members were taken. An informal committee confiistincr of the Mayor. Mr B. "R, Garder. and Messrs H. Benton. W. B. Macintosh. C. Blenkhor.i. and 15. W. J. Smith was set up, and Mr D. W. Mathcpon appointed secretary in the meantime. The Mayor will call a meeting next week when the club will be put on a proper basis and officers elected. Tt is the intention of the Club to study the theoretical side of the work during winter and take the practical side in the summer.