Swimming lessons

Yesterday I showed the calm before the lessons storm began.  10 mins later and it's all go! 

Since 1954, NSW public primary school students in Years 2 to 6 can attend free swimming lessons every year. They are eligible if they are unable to swim 25m in deep water, unaided, with confidence and style. 

Lessons of 45 minutes duration are held over 10 consecutive school days.  

Sally and Ann's Excellent Adventure 45: Surf School's In!

Morning learn-to-surf school at Collaroy Beach

Putting Students First

by guest photographer, Fred Thorpe



Recently the NSW government ripped $1.7 billion from funding for public schools and TAFE (Technical and Further Education) colleges.

The Teachers Federation yesterday organised a community day of action at Darling Harbour in Sydney, and at regional centres across the state.

The day was a "fun day with a serious message" .

Nothing speaks more eloquently about the need to fund our public education system properly than the joy of children - who represent OUR future - and their right to be offered every opportunity to fulfil their potential.  My friend Fred captured this shot of her own children at the event. Her eldest daughter spoke from the stage....we'll see her tomorrow.

A colleague once said "public education is the promise which one generation makes to the next."

To find out more, see here, and here.

Bubble preparation

1. In you go:



2. Air pipe goes in:

3. All zipped in:

4. Nearly ready to be rolled over to the pool:

The Bubbles - getting water legs or mostly not!)

Yesterday I showed the girl who conquered walking on water. Most kids who had a go spent most of their time falling down! This boy was pretty unsure about the whole thing, and observing pretty closely.

The girl in the bubble

This looks like enormous fun! Most of the kids having a go spent most of their time falling down, but this little girl was a real expert. If I wasn't wearing a dress I think I might have hopped in and had a go.....imagine the feeling of walking on water!

Had to laugh at the sign.  No adolescents need apply, it seems.

When I took this, I thought of Jilly in Menton, who has managed so many fabulous shots of kids having fun on various amusements along the beach there.

Things to do on a long weekend 2 . . .

Climb a tree.

Wonderment at Malabar

Plenty of interest to keep this young snorkeller interested.

Mum and daughter

Here's my friend Sui-linn and her gorgeous daughter, Aggie. This was taken last winter, and Aggie's grown a lot since. But I'm laid up sick at home and sorting through some older photos, and just couldn't resist this one!

These children were thoroughly enjoying themselves on the vintage fire engine at the recent Open Day at Government House in support of the vistims of the Victorian bushfires.

Fountains and young boys

Fountains are always hold a strong attraction for young boys. Hassan and Mahommed and their dad, originally from Senegal, were having a really fun time playing at the Archibald Fountain. Their joy was infectious. (Dad was happy for me to photograph his boys).

Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney claimed the day the pope arrived in Sydney that western nations need to populate or perish. He claims that "No western country is producing enough babies to keep the population stable, no Western country..."

Australia's population is growing. Thanks to lovely young people like Hassan, who was born here, and his family who have made Australia their home. So what does Cardinal Pell really mean? Does he mean white Catholics aren't having enough babies?

Australia is a far, far better place for its multiculturalism than it ever was before. Sure there's occasional conflict, but tell me a society, even heterogenous where there hasn't been conflict - Us'es and Thems?

George is also a "climate sceptic" (an interestingly divergent view to that of his pope), which makes his views even more interesting. Does he discount population pressures as a problem, or maybe he's just concerned about population growth in non-western countries?

Happy young faces

What's made these boys so joyous?

Answer to yesterday's quiz: One group is Artemis (Diana) the Huntress, another Theseus slaying the minotaur, and the third must be Pan - the young god of the fields and pastures. Click on the photo and expand it and I think the clue is in his right hand!

Sicard, the sculptor, wrote:

" Apollo represents the Arts (Beauty and Light). Apollo holds out his right arm as a sign of protection, and spreads his benefits over all Nature, whilst he holds the Lyre in his left hand. Apollo is the warmth which vivifies, giving life to all Nature. At the touch of his rays, men awake, trees and fields become green, the animals go out into the fields, and men go to work at dawn.
The ancient Pliny adored the sun, symbol of Life. It is on this account that I wished this figure to be the chief one in the memorial.
At Apollo's feet the star of day is indicated by a semi-circle, of which the rays spread out in jets of light (the rising sun). The horses' heads represent the horses of Apollo's chariot. Out of their nostrils the water will fall into the first basin, to fall from there into the second, and run away into the large basin.
The large basin is divided into three groups. One represents Diana, goddess of purity, of peaceful nights, symbol of charity; the ideal which watches over mortals - all that stands for poetry and harmony. The second group symbolises the good things of the earth - it is the young god of the fields and pastures, of the pleasure of the countryside. The third group represents sacrifice for the public good. Theseus, vanquisher of the Minotaur. The spirit triumphs over bestiality. Theseus delivers his country from the ransom which it had to pay to this monster. It is the sacrifice of himself for the good of humanity. Between these groups tortoises throw jets of water. "

Saturday sport

The agony of a missed kick for goal (never mind, there were also successes!)

Chances are if you're a parent, you're familiar with Saturday sidelines ...

Mouthguards in, last minute words from the coach, and we're back on after quarter time:

Australian Rules footy is only played in, well ......Australia. It's a fast flowing, running, kicking game. If you're a visitor to Australia from late March to September you should try to catch a game.


... and if you're not on the field yourself, there's usually some action BEHIND the posts

Art Express

The reason i called in to the Art Gallery of NSW the other day was for a look at the Art Express exhibition. This is a selection of some of the major art works submitted by NSW Higher School Certificate (the final school credential) students the year before. There's some amazingly talented young people in our community. I didn't pay $8 to look at the Archibalds - the images available on the web (link in yesterday's post) didn't inspire.

At the time the Archibald winner was announced I quietly thought it was a bit like an HSC major work, but I've revised that view. Some of the HSC major works are much better in my humble opinion. I enjoyed some of the video/anime, ceramics, photography and other media.

The young boys above were entranced by some of the video installations.

Below: Can You See Us by Courtney Maron Sexton from Lucas Heights Community School, and museum attendant

Check out some of the other works by great young Australians: Art Express

I also loved Treason of Words by Matilda Moylan-Blaikie; she represents visually how words and space appear to her as a person with a form of dyslexia/perception dysfunction. Beautiful. The web image doesn't convey it fully of course (maybe an argument against my Archibald statement above!) As well, I particularly liked Joe Toutai Alone's work , Harriet Ester Gordon-Anderson's Mother about her mother with chronic fatigue syndrome, Sothearoth Loeu's Untold Stories of tortured faces, Constantin Rongas's George's Cafe, Courtney Maron Sexton's Can You See Us, Emily Diana Sijibat's Untitled (the full work is so much more astounding than here).

Sydney Park

Happy 14th Birthday to Ben - of swimming and the Oz psyche

We were going to go to the water fun park at Jamberoo, with Ben and three of his mates. Unfortunately the weather turned foul - cold, gusty, and constant rain. Not great for an outdoor water play venue. Thishappened once before, on about his 10th birthday. We're doomed.

So instead we went to Homebush Aquatic Centre at Olympic Park. This is where Ian Thorpe, Susie O'Neill and others won all those medals at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. It's a terrific facility: 7wo 50m pools, one 8 lane, one 10 lane, diving pool, and freeform play pools with rapid river run, water slide etc.

There's also has gym and fitness centre, sauna, steam room, spa pools. There's swimming classes, training squads, all day lap swimming, cafes. You can book childminding, hosted kids' birthday parties, massage and a triathlon club.

I don't think people from outside Australia realise how deeply public swimming facilities penetrate the Australian psyche. To use this facility it cost us $28.80 for 3 adults and 4 kids for all day. I've paid more than that for one person for a single session at a European pool. Trying to find somewhere in Rome or new York for a swim is a bit of a challenge! We get a bit purse-lipped if pool entry gets anything beyond about $5-$6 in an indoor heated centre, $3-4 outdoors. Generally swimming pools are one of the community facilities, along with libraries, parks etc which local government maintains (they are NOT however responsible for education - that's a state government level responsibility).

More pictures of Homebush - click here.

Reading in the bookshop

The children's section of Kinokuniya Bookshop in central Sydney

Beach games

Children's bike track, Sydney Park

This is a great place for young children to practice their developing bicycling skills in a safe road traffic education area.

The chimneys in the background are also a feature of Sydney Park - they are remnants of the former brickworks on the site.

We Wish You A Merry Christmas

Children from Darlington Public School sang Christmas carols for retired teachers. What a joyous group they were!