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Friday 9 February 2024
Pool's cool swim school
Swimming instructor Jordy Hutty, with young swimmers, shows off the picture book gifted to her at Rockville Pool last Sunday. Photo: Jo Richards. JO RICHARDS
Rockville’s summer swimming lessons are a local family tradition that, in many cases, goes back generations. These are not any old lessons; these are Pattison Swim School lessons – based on a highly effective method of teaching children to swim, tried and tested for over 50 years. Last Sunday, around 40 children aged five to 12 took their turn in the warm water of Rockville swimming pool – some to take the plunge for the first time, and others to learn how to become stronger, safer, and more confident swimmers. As the youngsters soaked up their lessons, poolside parents and caregivers – many of whom were taught in the same pool, by the same method – provided support and encouragement. In their day, the older generation would have been taught by Jos and Margaret Pattison, the couple who founded the Swim
School in 1965 and developed the titular method. Initially offered in Christchurch, then Nelson, their intensive programme was first brought to Rockville 40 years ago. Following the couple’s retirement, the business was sold and, for the past eight summers, owner and swimming instructor Jordy Hutty has travelled over from Nelson to provide two weekends of intensive tuition – one in December and one in February. Ownership may have changed, but the winning formula remains the same; swimmers are divided into groups according to age and experience, with each group having two lessons – one in the morning and one in the afternoon – on both Saturday and Sunday. The block courses are of particular appeal to a remote rural community such as Golden Bay. Jules Ferguson’s three girls (aged five, seven, and 10) are homeschooled in Kaihoka on the West Coast, so the intensive weekends are an ideal arrangement. The youngest,
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THE GB WEEKLY, FRIDAY 9 FEBRUARY 2024
Hannah, started lessons in December but has already reached “confident beginner” level. “Jordy’s brilliant with her,” says Jules, adding that what the girls learn in the pool is put into practice at the tidal inlet near their home. “They are real water babies – in the water every day.” It is especially convenient for Sam Etheredge and her young daughters who live just down the road from the pool. Sam remembers learning there as a child and vouches for the Pattison method. “I wouldn’t put my head under the water but by the end of the weekend I was swimming.” Local resident Will Curnow also learned to swim at Rockville. “I came here when I was a kid,” says Will. Now he and partner Halie Miller have brought their young girls, Isabella (five) and Emilia (seven), to the pool. The multi-generational legacy of the programme is clear to see. Beate Franke’s here with her granddaughter, five-year-old... Continued on page 2
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Water contamination JO RICHARDS
Tasman District Council has advised against drinking bore water in parts of Tākaka following the detection of a toxic compound. Last Friday, TDC revealed that water sampled at three sites contained concentrations of dichloromethane (DCM) in excess of New Zealand Drinking Water Standards. The testing was part of an ongoing monitoring exercise of bore water sources used by houses and workplaces in Motupipi Street that could have been contaminated by run-off from the ITM site following the recent fire. In the immediate aftermath of the 11 January conflagration it was noted that ITM’s main store of chemical and paint products was housed in a separate building and remained unaffected. At that time, TDC initiated stormwater testing which quickly showed that any water that flowed from the scene was confined to a relatively small area and did not enter nearby streams or the local estuary. But because properties in Tākaka are supplied from private water bores, TDC began monitoring water quality and contacted the 25 or so occupants of properties in a small area on Motupipi Street near Buxton Lane intersection making them aware of potential bore water contamination and advising them to drink bottled water until further notice. In light of the latest test results, returned from samples collected on 22 January, that advice has been extended to properties in the rest of Motupipi Street, Factory Road and the first section of Abel Tasman Drive (to Scotts Corner). The reason for the extension is the detection of DCM at concentrations above the drinking water standard (0.02 mg/L) at sites beyond the initial zone of concern. The good news is that none of the samples tested showed elevated levels of any other toxic organic or inorganic substances. Council’s cautionary approach is understandable. According to a major chemical producer’s safety data sheet, if swallowed, DCM can cause vomiting and may result in liver and kidney damage. In addition, as it is metabolised, it produces carbon monoxide which reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. As regards its general properties, DCM is a volatile colourless liquid with a sweet odour and is widely used as a solvent in chemical manufacturing and is the... Continued on page 2
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