Lifetime swimmer

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 235, 15 March 1988, Page 2

Lifetime swimmer

Remember the Bouquet column in our first new look Bulletin? The column is designed simply to salute the unsung heroes and heroines of our community. How often we publish 'Bouquet' depends on you, the reader. All we need is a phone call or letter of nomination. This time our bouquet goes to Nancy Winters who spends much of her summertime at the Raetihi Swimming Baths. The nomination came in the form of an emphatically anonymous phone call: "I'd like to nominate Nancy Winters for a bouquet because she is such a selfless hard worker. "She does learn to swim, coaches for the swimming club, is a life member having been involved in swimming for nearly 30 years. She is active in the tennis club and took pre-school at Raetihi. "Nancy Winter is a good woman. I've known her for 20 years and it's all true."

Nancy Winter all-but camps a t the Raetihi Swimming Pool in summertime. "'I come home to visit' is how my husband would put it," she said in a telephone interview she was told was for a story on the history of the baths. Since about 1961 Nancy Winter has been coaching swimming with the club and has most times been on the committee, including the past two years as president.

"Most of us have been there m a n y years," she said. She coaches all ages including pupils in the 'learn to swim' classes held each year during the school holidays. "I've always had this love of swimming. I started teaching m y kids and now I'm teaching my grandchildren. We spend most of every day at the pool in the summer, with three training sessions a day. I love it. "I'm a good swimmer, I can swim half a mile a day. Not fast but I get there." Said Mrs Winter. "We don't place too much emphasis on winners," she said. "Our emphasis is on stamina, we aim to teach kids to swim strong and well." Nancy Winter came to Raetihi 37 years ago when what is now the toddlers' pool was the main pool. She remembers the Queen's carnivals the town held to raise money for first the present main pool and then the filtration plant, 24 years ago. She said in early years when the pool had to be emptied each week everybody would meet at the pool on Saturday night with scrubbing brushes to clean out the pool. Asked if she was involved in cleaning she said: "Oh yes, everybody was in with a scrubbing brush." Other community activities Mrs Winter has been involved with include old folks' care, Crippled Children Society and pre school teaching.

Said our anonymous nominator: "As well as all this she has brought up a fine family of six boys and one

girl and they are all good citizens." "She does all this with a real good heart," said the nominator.