Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Coordinator of Variety NT Starfish Swim Group Donna Rousham says the swim group for kids with disabilities will take on various challenges this month raising money for youth mental health

Transcript

Coordinator of Variety NT Starfish Swim Group Donna Rousham says the swim group for kids with disabilities will take on various challenges this month raising money for youth mental health · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: Well this March the Starfish Swim Group now they provide
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  Speaker 1: free swimming lessons for kids with disabilities. They're going to
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  Speaker 1: be swimming and taking on a challenge to raise money
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  Speaker 1: for reach Out for Youth Mental Health Support Group. Now
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  Speaker 1: it's all part of LAPS for Life and we know
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  Speaker 1: that over two million young Australians do suffer from mental
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  Speaker 1: health problems. However, it's really very alarming that over one
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  Speaker 1: million of those are unable to access the professional help
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  Speaker 1: that they need. And reach Out is an online forum
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  Speaker 1: for young people to seek the help and support that
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  Speaker 1: they need. Now joining me on the line is the
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  Speaker 1: wonderful Donna Rusham, who many of you will know who
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  Speaker 1: was indeed well, she's the founder of the Starfish Swim
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  Speaker 1: Group and also the coordinator of Variety and t Starfish
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  Speaker 1: Swim Group. Good morning to you, Donna.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie. How are you?
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  Speaker 1: I am very good now, Donna. For those out there
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  Speaker 1: listening who don't know much about the Starfish Swim Group,
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  Speaker 1: I know you you've come on the show before and
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  Speaker 1: told us about the stuff ISSSIOM group, but just explain
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  Speaker 1: it to our listeners.
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  Speaker 2: Okay. I started it in two thousand and fine, to
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  Speaker 2: give children with disabilities, special needs an opportunity to swim,
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  Speaker 2: not in a group. It's very hard for these kids
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  Speaker 2: to swim in mainstream groups. So we started with probably
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  Speaker 2: ten kids and then we went down to now where
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  Speaker 2: we're at over that period of time where we do
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  Speaker 2: one on one instruction, one on one with a teacher
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  Speaker 2: in an environment that's quiet and yeah, very you know,
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  Speaker 2: really good for the kids for concentration and focusing and
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  Speaker 2: so forth. We've got probably eighty kids in the program.
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  Speaker 2: We've got three different programs, so we've got one on
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  Speaker 2: Saturday morning that's six months through about four or five
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  Speaker 2: afternoon program that goes from five or six to about twelve,
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  Speaker 2: and then over at ten and that's at Mimiciga and
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  Speaker 2: then over at Henry School. We've got those that are
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  Speaker 2: getting ready for a bit of stroke correction and a longer,
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  Speaker 2: deeper pool. So we've got about ten twelve into that
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  Speaker 2: program as well. So yeah, pretty full on program.
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  Speaker 1: It's a fantastic program, Donna, and I know that so
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  Speaker 1: many territory families absolutely love bringing their kids to this
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  Speaker 1: staff is some group and what it does for the
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  Speaker 1: children that actually take part.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, Oh look, Katie, it's you know me, I'm very
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  Speaker 2: very passionate about what I do and giving these kids
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  Speaker 2: an opportunity that is probably not available to them. It's
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  Speaker 2: just really you take kids with autism, it's really hard
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  Speaker 2: for them to focus when there's three or four other
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  Speaker 2: kids in the water. And we've just over the years,
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  Speaker 2: we've just seen amazing results coming out. We've seen parents
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  Speaker 2: sitting on the side with tears running down their face thinking,
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  Speaker 2: you know, I would never thought that they'd be able
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  Speaker 2: to do this or that you know that you know
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  Speaker 2: their behaviors would be too bad. But once you put
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  Speaker 2: them into once you look at them as the as
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  Speaker 2: the prime thing is the core and work out what
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  Speaker 2: their needs are. Not as a teacher saying this is
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  Speaker 2: what I can do and you fit into me, our
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  Speaker 2: mindset is very different. We look at the child, what
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  Speaker 2: are their needs and how can we do best and
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  Speaker 2: how can they get the most benefits out of our programs. So, yeah,
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  Speaker 2: I think that it speaks for itself, Katie.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, it truly does.
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  Speaker 2: Now.
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  Speaker 1: Your wonderful group, the Starfishome group, they're also this month
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  Speaker 1: they're doing something for charity. They're going to be raising
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  Speaker 1: money as part of lapse for life and they're raising
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  Speaker 1: that money for reach out, aren't they.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, this is so exciting. I mean one of our teachers, Tanya,
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  Speaker 2: brought it to my attention. She has had some past
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  Speaker 2: experience with the family that she knew, and she said, Donna,
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  Speaker 2: this looks good. We looked at it and we said, right,
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  Speaker 2: we're taking our whole program through this, which is really
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  Speaker 2: exciting because you say, how can a one year old
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  Speaker 2: child twim? So what we're doing and those can swim,
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  Speaker 2: those that can do some laps, the laps are being
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  Speaker 2: counted and recorded. Now those little ones that are not
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  Speaker 2: up to swimming with they're all being given a challenge.
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  Speaker 2: So a little one can be just allowing you to
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  Speaker 2: tip water over their heads, waiting at the side of
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  Speaker 2: the pool till the instructor calls you in. So every
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  Speaker 2: child in our program has been given a little challenge
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  Speaker 2: and we are recording all that. Oh well, those that
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  Speaker 2: can do last those that aren't are still very much
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  Speaker 2: a part of it, and those families as well. Donna,
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  Speaker 2: that is awesome.
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  Speaker 1: What's the response been from the kids? How are they going?
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  Speaker 1: I mean we're sort of nine days into March now, Yes, yes.
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  Speaker 2: Well, today, we've raised eight hundred and seventy one online.
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  Speaker 2: We've got another three hundred and twenty cash donations to
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  Speaker 2: come in and that has given two hundred and eighteen
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  Speaker 2: youth the vital mental health support that they need. So
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  Speaker 2: and and so far this March, these amazing kids have
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  Speaker 2: swum a collective distance of seventeen point eight three kilometers.
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  Speaker 2: Winch is a quivl, which is the equivalent of swimming
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  Speaker 2: from Henry Avenue the pools out to Gateway. And how
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  Speaker 2: as exciting is that?
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  Speaker 1: That is so cool? Are they just pumped? Are they
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  Speaker 1: really proud of themselves because they should be.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, those that really know what they're doing, So that
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  Speaker 2: they set a doll so they've got paperwork. Tanya's recording hers,
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  Speaker 2: Robin's recording her. So in week one of they've done
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  Speaker 2: four laps, will challenge them the next week to go
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  Speaker 2: five laps. So they come once a week. That they're
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  Speaker 2: not swimming every day. It's just their normal lessons that
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  Speaker 2: we have, but it's being recorded and a challenge is
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  Speaker 2: setting out to those. So the laps there are those
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  Speaker 2: that have been able to, some have been able to.
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  Speaker 2: You know, they're swimming, may not be up to the
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  Speaker 2: higher ablebody once. Ye. So the ones that can, you know,
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  Speaker 2: if they can do it half a lap and then
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  Speaker 2: do an stop, you another half a lap that will
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  Speaker 2: be counted as a lap.
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  Speaker 1: That is so great.
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  Speaker 2: So the challenge is for twenty kilometers for the whole thing.
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  Speaker 2: It's two kilometers per person if you are dis joining
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  Speaker 2: in yourself to do the lapse for Life online, for
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  Speaker 2: a broute, for a team, it's twenty kilometers. Well, where
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  Speaker 2: as I said, seventeen point eighty three, we're going gangbusters.
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  Speaker 1: I love this. I've got the biggest smile on my
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  Speaker 1: faced on or I love what the staff Ish Swim
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  Speaker 1: Group does and what it means for a start, but
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  Speaker 1: then the fact that you guys are doing laps for
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  Speaker 1: life and for such a very worthy cause, to me,
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  Speaker 1: I just think it's incredible stuff.
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  Speaker 2: Well, we like to think that we're community focused, that
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  Speaker 2: we are helping others. You know, we are always asking
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  Speaker 2: for donations to help whatever, even though we've got the
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  Speaker 2: variety of the children's charity who are wonderful our sponsors.
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  Speaker 2: It's just we want to be seen out there as
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  Speaker 2: doing things to help other people. And you know, I
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  Speaker 2: think the thing is none of us want to be
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  Speaker 2: put what you know, let's get back to what this
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  Speaker 2: is about, this reach for life, and none of us
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  Speaker 2: ever want to be put in that position. And this
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  Speaker 2: you know, we're working with youth parents. I'm sure none
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  Speaker 2: of us would agree with me. None of us want
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  Speaker 2: to be put in that position where you know, we
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  Speaker 2: are faced with it with one of our youth, with
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  Speaker 2: the suicide or whatever. There's a lot of mental health
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  Speaker 2: problems out there, but you know, this organization absolutely needs
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  Speaker 2: the support and the awareness. It's funds, we're raising funds,
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  Speaker 2: but trying to raise awareness as well to how to
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  Speaker 2: help the young people out there. So yeah, it's yeah.
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  Speaker 2: As I said before, I'm very passionate about this. You are,
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  Speaker 2: and so are our teachers, and so are our parents.
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  Speaker 2: The kids that can understand, So we're trying to the
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  Speaker 2: teachers are trying to impart into the children that understand
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  Speaker 2: what they're doing and make them feel very much a
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  Speaker 2: part of it as well.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, Donald, this is fantastic. Now, if there is anybody
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  Speaker 1: out there listening who thinks, do you know what, I
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  Speaker 1: want to make a donation to the Starfish Swim Group
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  Speaker 1: while they embark on this journey for the month of March.
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  Speaker 1: Where can they go to?
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  Speaker 2: They can go online. I mean I can either send
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  Speaker 2: you the links that can go online, or they can
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  Speaker 2: ring me if they just want to make a cash
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  Speaker 2: donation and I can put it on and then the
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  Speaker 2: receipt so that they can get a receipt the receipt
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  Speaker 2: if they give me their email address, well receipt will
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  Speaker 2: come back to them.
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  Speaker 1: And look, if anyone contacts us here at the station,
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  Speaker 1: we can certainly pass on those details. But they can
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  Speaker 1: head to Lapse for Life as well, can't they And
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  Speaker 1: they can search for Starfish Swim Group.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, Laps for Life. Well, they can go under its
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  Speaker 2: Left for Life dot com dot au slashboard fundraiser Staffish
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  Speaker 2: Swim Group three nine to five four. But I think
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  Speaker 2: if you brought the first bit in, it'll probably come
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  Speaker 2: up and you can follow what we're doing on there.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, oh, this is awesome. So yeah.
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  Speaker 2: And Ian Thorps the national ambassador. So I mean that's
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  Speaker 2: most of the kids you know who are and we
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  Speaker 2: all know who are you, so that you know that
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  Speaker 2: gives a good clout as well. I mean one of
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  Speaker 2: the best swimmers we've ever.
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  Speaker 1: You know, absolutely absolutely. Oh, everyone loves Thorpeye is An
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  Speaker 1: He was an incredible swimmer. Now, Donna, we will make
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  Speaker 1: sure that we catch up with you again throughout the
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  Speaker 1: month of March to find out how the kids are tracking.
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  Speaker 1: Let them know we think that they are absolute legends
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  Speaker 1: doing this.
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  Speaker 2: I love it.
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  Speaker 1: I love the fact that even the little ease who
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  Speaker 1: aren't able to swim those laps, that they've got different
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  Speaker 1: goals to try and get through March.
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  Speaker 2: And that's what makes it really special. I think. So
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  Speaker 2: it's just not those that can do laps. The little
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  Speaker 2: challenge is thrown out so they can be part of it.
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  Speaker 2: We're a whole big family in this. Yeah, I'm all
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  Speaker 2: part of it, and everybody's doing their little bit wonderful.
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  Speaker 2: That's what makes it really nice.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, it really does wonderful wonderful stuff. Well, Donna Rusham,
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  Speaker 1: I always love our chats. Thank you so much for
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  Speaker 1: having a chat with me this morning.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you, Katie, thank you, thank you so much.
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  Speaker 1: Stay