Rewarding experience for all

“There are some moments in life that you will remember forever and this week a few of us were lucky enough to experience just such a moment. We were asked through Stephen Harris’s neighbour to provide water cover for a large group of refugee children from Salisbury North School. Within this group there were five different cultures, five different languages and children from all of the troubled parts of the world. Some of these children had never been or swam in the ocean before! For us to witness first hand the sheer look of joy and excitement on their faces as they played in the water for the first time was truly amazing and so uplifting to be a part of.

The kids would call out to show you how good they could swim, or how they were able to put their face underwater, they were just so happy to be enjoying that moment with us and their friends. The teachers enjoyed a few rides in the IRB with some of them never having been in a boat with a motor on before! At their lunch break they surprised us all with fish and chips from Soto’s for lunch – always a favourite with the Semaphore Surf Life Savers!

Thanks to Stephen Harris for arranging this and thanks to Michael Kenny, Sean Kenny, Heatha Leslie and Connor Tunbridge for putting their hand up to help, especially at late notice. It is moments like this that make you really appreciate how lucky we are to have been born here in Australia and to be able to serve our community through Surf Life Saving. I am not sure who got more out of today, us or them!”

Andrew Edwards
Club Captain, Semaphore SLSC