When former Scarborough-Wombarra lifesaver Peter Rafferty volunteered as a driving instructor for refugees in Wollongong, he discovered most of his students couldn’t swim. So he decided to do something about it.

Peter, who worked with asylum seekers for much of his engineering career, had been a swimming teacher. He obtained his teaching licence again and set about helping his students learn about the ocean.

“They live down here [in the Illawarra]. So it’s pretty important that they know how to swim or know at least how to save themselves before they get into the pool or the water.”

One of the first things Peter teaches his students is how to stay afloat because he wants to give them the confidence to know they are not going to drown if they get out of their depth.

Peter is very aware of how different the beach experience is for someone who has not grown up near the ocean and so he teaches refugees about swimming between the flags, and being aware of drop-offs, shore dumps and rips.

Knowing what refugees face, he has made his lessons free, low-key and flexible.

“They don’t have to sign up. They can just turn up. They can come when they feel like it.”

He proudly tells about one of his students this year: “She can now swim about 15 metres. When she started, she couldn’t swim any freestyle.”

Peter teaches at the ocean pool at Woonona.

Need to learn to swim? Text or call Peter on 0424 199 299