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LIFE & STYLE PAGE 25
INSIDE TE PAGE 41
PEDESTRIAN 101
CAREERS FOR OUR DAUGHTERS
YOUNG AT HEART
LOCAL NEWS
NOVEMBER 14 2012 WWW.NEWCASTLEPOST.COM.AU
PROUDLY INDEPENDENT PH: 49 610 310
Supervision is the key Mother uses her own tragic experience to improve pool safety LOUISE BOURKE
NOT COPPING IT A senior police investigator with 35 years policing experience is continuing to urge Premier, Barry O’Farrell, to listen to the needs of victims and survivors of church sexual abuse and establish a Royal Commission. In a statement published last week, Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox exposed the frustration felt by police and prosecutors at the lack of justice for victims.
K
elly Taylor took her eyes off her 2-year-old son, Jaise, for only 90 seconds. But that was all it took for the toddler to enter a non-compliant pool enclosure in the rented holiday accommodation in Anna Bay, fi nd his way into the pool and tragically, drown. “I blame myself every day for my son’s death,� Ms Taylor told the Post. “I’m his mum and I should have protected him.� Jaise was rushed to John Hunter Hospital – the same hospital where he was born – and was on life support for two days before he died. Since Jaise’s death in 2010, Ms Taylor has turned her family’s personal tragedy into something with positive outcomes for the community, campaigning for tighter compliancy controls for backyard swimming pools in the NSW Swimming Pools Act. Recently, Local Government Minister, Don Page, announced changes to the legislation, passed last month, which will require properties with a swimming pool be inspected and registered as compliant before the property can be sold or leased. While happy with the improvements to the law, Ms Taylor would like further revisions to the existing requirement for people to self-certify their own pools. “Currently, pool owners must self-certify that their pool meets the safety standards,� she said. “It doesn’t make sense – we don’t do registration checks on our cars because we’re not experts. Th is needs to change,� she said. Ms Taylor is now working with Hannah’s Foundation, a QLD-based registered charity and support service for families who have lost children due to drowning, to raise awareness about water safety. She is also hoping to train as a safety compliance officer. On the eve of the summer swimming season, Ms Taylor is warning parents and carers to be vigilant. “Supervision is the key,� she said. “CPR is all well and good, but we want to get to a point where we don’t need to rely on it at all.� For more information about Hannah’s Foundation, head to www.hannahsfoundation.org. @louisebourke
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AT THE COALFACE Greens Senator visits Hunter ahead of inquiry PAGE 5
PUNCHING ON Cruiserweight champ readies for bout Local Government Minister, Don Page, with Kelly Taylor. Photo: MELINDA JANE
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