30 years of terror floats away

A NEAR-DROWNING incident in a murky Sydney river robbed a young Cathie Whitmore of her confidence as a swimmer.

The experience of almost losing their daughter terrified her parents, who refused to let her go into the water again.

It wasn't until more than 30 years later that Ms Whitmore's confidence as a swimmer returned.

And it was all thanks to Yamba swimming and snorkel instructors Ross and Helen Pye, of Water Confidence Australia.

"They helped me to feel confident and safe in the water again," Ms Whitmore said.

"As a school student I was a good swimmer. I won awards for swimming and I would often show them off, but after I swam too far from the shore in a river one day and nearly drowned, I became scared and I didn't go into the water again.

"It wasn't until a few years ago when I saw an advertisement for Ross and Helen's water-confidence class in the paper that I joined one and was able to feel calm and comfortable in the water again."

Ms Whitmore said her confidence resurfaced under the wonderful and encouraging guidance of the Pyes.

She learned how to relax in the water, to conquer her fear of deep water and to remember how much fun swimming can be.

"I was anxious when I started," Ms Whitmore said.

"But Helen was lovely and re- assured me that she would not take me out of my comfort zone and allow me to progress slowly and to take my time.

"She and Ross are so dedicated with their teaching and they didn't just give me back confidence to swim."

A popular children's author, Ms Whitmore said the lessons she had with the Pyes had also taught her to have more confidence in herself.

Today, Ms Whitmore enjoys spending time in the water with her grandchildren and she has also learned to snorkel.

Her gratitude to the Pyes was expressed through a poem she wrote and dedicated to her swimming instructors about her embarrassment of being too scared to swim as a teenager. The poem also reveals how her life had changed since she took part in the water-confidence classes.

Entitled It's Never Too Late, the poem also conveys the important message that you are never too old to learn how to swim.