By Nicole Williams
IT’S a long way from the war-torn Middle East to the beach in Australia, but some inspiring young students have made the journey.
Nine English graduates from the Noble Park English Language School have been keeping an eye on Edithvale beach this summer after becoming qualified patrolling volunteer lifesavers, within two years of arriving in the country.
Life Saving Victoria manager multicultural projects David Holland said the students, aged between 13 and 18, elected to do a water safety unit at school and after some beach visits expressed interest in becoming lifesavers.
Mr Holland said most of the students, from Afghanistan, East Timor, Thailand or Turkey, came from landlocked areas and had rarely been to the beach.
“Their exposure to the beach in Australia was extremely limited,” he said.
“All of the kids, with two exceptions, have been in Australia less than 14 months with many barriers to overcome, like distance, language, schooling, but they have put their hands up to volunteer on a weekend to look after other Australians.”
They trained every Sunday for 10 weeks and received their Surf Rescue Certificate from Life Saving Victoria on Sunday 25 March, allowing them to participate in beach patrols with Edithvale Life Saving Club.
Hazal Peker, from Turkey, said he became interested after Life Saving Victoria visited the school.
“The beach isn’t scary anymore and it’s a fun thing to do on the weekend,” the Berwick student said.
“I am proud and happy to be a lifesaver.”
Aftikhar Ali, 14, moved to Cranbourne from Afghanistan one year ago and had never been to the beach before starting the course.
He said he now found the beach exciting and became a lifesaver “because everyone in Australia needs to be able to swim.”
“I feel very proud of myself and my family couldn’t believe it,” he said.
Mr Holland said learning essential water safety skills and knowledge empowered the students to enjoy Australian beaches safely.
“Participating in this program is a great achievement and a great way for the group to learn new skills as well as broaden their social networks in their adopted local communities.”
For more information about Life Saving Victoria’s multicultural projects, visit www.lifesavingvictoria.com.au
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