You’re never too old to learn how to swim … and Heather Woodgate will vouch for it. The 60-year-old Hume resident was one of 60 graduates of Life Saving Victoria’s Grey Medallion program, which teaches people in their 60s and older to feel confident in the water.
The group underwent six weeks of swimming and emergency training at Broadmeadows and Craigieburn pools before graduating this month.
Funding from Hume’s 2015 community grants scheme meant swimmers were offered the course free of charge as part of a bid to reduce the rising drowning toll among older Victorians.
They were educated in water safety knowledge, resuscitation and emergency care, aquatic exercise and personal survival lifesaving skills. Hume mayor Adem Atmaca said the seniors learnt skills to help them survive in water.
“These mature-aged residents have done something, which is much more than just a bit of fun at the local leisure centre,” Cr Atmaca said. “Participants attained aquatic skills that could save their own lives and the lives of others.”
