tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815867514277794362.post6367473389035507384..comments2024-03-08T06:18:28.125+11:00Comments on Bronte Capital: Weekend edition: surf lifesaving as a spectator sportJohn Hemptonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03766274392122783128noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815867514277794362.post-40744594715430179222009-01-03T00:06:00.000+11:002009-01-03T00:06:00.000+11:00Hi John,Little late to comment however, i enjoyed ...Hi John,<BR/>Little late to comment however, i enjoyed your story, i just returned from the central coast today visiting family, and i wear a hijab. i have my bronze medallion but not in surf, just still water (not that strong a swimmer :) so can empathise with the lifesavers who wear hijab. <BR/><BR/>The burqini is awesome, its quicker than the rashies i sometimes wear, they are teflon coated! perhaps you could get a modified version hahaha<BR/><BR/> Anyhow, i know a couple of the muslim lifeguards and they're really cool girls, doing things they enjoy like sports and community work. Reflecting on my trip to the coast this week, i really felt the lack of understanding between the muslim culture and some australians. Its funny cos i come from an Australian background/anglo, butthat doesnt matter when your in hijab, the looks and comments sting sometimes.<BR/>Standing in the shoes of a female who wears hijab i can tell you it takes a lot of guts to wear it and still enjoy the surf like i always did. In sydney, i think people are more used to seeing Muslim women enjoying the beach, and interaction really helps break down barriers. Thanks for your story,<BR/>Might bump into you one day, hopefully not needing rescue! :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815867514277794362.post-46183993714242846772008-12-01T08:19:00.000+11:002008-12-01T08:19:00.000+11:00A further follow up: it appears that there has be...A further follow up: it appears that there has been a professional Muslim female lifeguard hired - note she wears blue (as per the lifeguards) not red/yellow as per the clubbies:<BR/><BR/>http://www.theage.com.au/news/federal-election-2007-news/cronulla-calling/2007/11/16/1194766967112.html<BR/><BR/>I gather the "burquini" or the modest lifeguard uniform is a very minor drag on swimming performance - but as the lifeguards do almost all their rescues on boards it is trivial... <BR/><BR/>I have yet to meet a Muslim lifesaver though...<BR/><BR/><BR/>JJohn Hemptonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03766274392122783128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815867514277794362.post-78655884778876295572008-12-01T06:09:00.000+11:002008-12-01T06:09:00.000+11:00Follow ups: After the riots at Cronulla a very la...Follow ups: After the riots at Cronulla a very large amount of effort went into attracting Muslim lifesavers. It was difficult to do - but some effort even went into a muslim-female acceptable life-guard uniform and I gather there are a couple of takers.<BR/><BR/>You can see the stories here...]<BR/><BR/>http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22837004-5001021,00.html<BR/><BR/>That said I have never met one of the Muslim lifesavers - and there have been ugly touches such as far-right political candidates leaflet dropping against their existence...<BR/><BR/>http://www.smh.com.au/news/law-and-order/leaflet-attack-on-muslim-lifesavers/2007/02/23/1171734017094.html<BR/><BR/>As for the dangerous current sign - yes there is one there - but at Bronte it is only in English. At Bondi (which is far more popular with tourists) it is English, Chinese, Arabic, French and Spanish. Despite that it works surprisingly poorly. <BR/><BR/>The reason it works poorly is optical. Waves break where it shallow - so the surf looks dangerous where it shallow.<BR/><BR/>When there is a rip current the rip washes all the sand out - making the water deep. The waves do not break there. So the place with the rip looks calmest and hence often looks the safest place to swim. People believe their eyes - not the sign... and so need to be rescued. <BR/><BR/>No racism in that though - UK backpackers are fair proportion of the customers at Bondi Beach...<BR/><BR/><BR/>JJohn Hemptonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03766274392122783128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815867514277794362.post-91052454138396272672008-12-01T05:51:00.000+11:002008-12-01T05:51:00.000+11:00Thankyou for the piece.One of the most important n...Thankyou for the piece.<BR/><BR/>One of the most important next steps from that chapter should be for surf clubs to invite Muslims to assist in the lifeguarding.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815867514277794362.post-58707553071128840932008-11-30T22:19:00.000+11:002008-11-30T22:19:00.000+11:00Great story. These are the kind of interactions th...Great story. These are the kind of interactions that build true acceptance (and not just tolerance) on both sides.<BR/>Just curious, did you guys put up signs warning of the rip tide problem? Some signs even have self-explanatory drawings on them for people who need visuals.<BR/>(musingsofatrader.blogspot.com)Isam Larouihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17824104233197250291noreply@blogger.com