It’s never too late to improve your swimming skills, a group of older Hume residents will testify.
Participants aged 65 or more recently completed Life Saving Victoria and Hume council’s Grey Medallion program, which teaches personal survival skills and water safety to reduce the likelihood of drowning.
Among those in the six-week program was a large group of Bhutanese people, who completed the program at Broadmeadows and Craigieburn leisure centres.
While the Bhutanese group do not speak English, instructors were able to help them understand the importance of water safety.
The program was established by Life Saving Victoria after it was revealed that adults aged 65 and more feature prominently in drowning and near-drowning incidents across Victoria.
Hume mayor Drew Jessop said the program is teaching vital lifesaving skills to people who have not grown up as swimmers.
“People who swim and know what to do in an emergency can not only save their own life, but save the lives of others,” he said.
“Swimming is a vital skill to have. We strongly recommend all children and adults learn and practice this.”
