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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