Dave Hadley and Margaret Helle get involved with Loreto's "Swim with a Vision" program. Photos: Uyen Nguyen
On Sunday 19 September, Dave Hadley and Margrete Helle represented the Swannies in teaching Vietnamese children, from the School for the Blind, how to swim.
They joined about five other trainers, looking after 25 students, at the Australian International School’s pool in District 3.
What a magnificent experience! The moment when the child trusted you completely to support them when they floated constantly brought a big smile to both trainer and trainee.
program will start up again in the next school year.
Michael Johnston, who is heavily involved with pushing the Swannies to become more actively support swimming initiatives, when he heard Dave’s story, wrote:
Sensational, Dave. It’s a great feeling, isn’t it, when the kids can feel they are progressing and give you a big grin coz they “got it”?
Dave replied:
It was fantastic. These kids are blind as well. When they finally trusted me, on their backs, hands playing with the water and the big smile on their faces, wow. Just wow!
The Vietnam Swans look forward to continue supporting Loreto. Up next will be the Saigon International Music Festival, which will be held on Saturday 11th of December.
Footnote: Trish Franklin from Loreto will feature in a TV story back in Australia on the Channel 7 Network’s, Sunday Night Program to be aired on 10 October. Click to see the video.
6 October update:
(From Michael Johnston) Big floods in Dong Hoi north of Hue at midnight on Sunday (3 Oct.). Bigger than (the floods caused by) Ketsana Typhoon last year. Eye of the storm passed over Dong Hoi. Ben was driving back from seeing Bich and the new baby when everything went still for 15 minutes – very eerie, he said. Lots of property washed away because people weren’t prepared. Ben and Tony are going into the next village this morning because it apparently was the worst hit (Bich’s folks house only had a metre of water through it, and it is on high ground!). No lives lost in Bich’s village (Cu Nam), but they’re worried about what might have happened in Kong Ha next door. Water survival skills will keep being welcomed wherever we go in VN.