Learn to Swim Legacy Fund and Sport Northland

Posted on: 02/02/21

In 1969 Ester Keesing-Styles established the Okau Amateur Swimming Club, which provided competitive swimming activities and swimming lessons for their local community. Ester was the driving force behind the club, and the lessons, and remained involved until her death in 1997. Little did she know that the Club’s activities would cease, but the vision for swim safety lessons could remain via the creation of a legacy fund for learn-to-swim lessons in the Whangarei district.

Ester’s original vision for the swimming lessons was that all kids, regardless of their situation, should be taught to swim so as to enjoy the numerous waterways that abound in the Whangarei district safely. The Okau Swimming Club provided the learn-to-swim lessons for kids in Whangarei during the summer season in addition to the club’s competitive swimming activities. In 1997 Ester passed away and bequeathed funds to the club, with the intention of the club continuing the swimming lessons. Heather Aitkins and Shirley Gray, members of the club at the time, where able to continue the delivery of the lessons charging a minimal fee, targeting those families that could not afford the mainstream learn-to-swim lessons. However, with both Shirley and Heather retiring from the Club recently, they wanted to ensure Ester’s dream lived on and as such were able to partner with the Northland Community Foundation to transfer the residual funds from the club, with a substantial donation from Heather, to establish a Northland Learn2Swim Fund under the umbrella of the Northland Sports Fund within the Foundation.

The result is an endowment fund which the Northland Community Foundation will add to their investments they have with Craigs Investment Partners. The main portion of the interest/annual yield from this investment will go towards providing a learn-to-swim/water safety service to those families who cannot afford lessons, while a portion of the interest/annual yield will be also used to increase the capital sum in an on-going capacity. In this respect the capital sum will live on forever, ensuring the service does likewise.

“Both Shirley and I are extremely grateful to the Northland Community Foundation for providing the vehicle for Ester’s vision to live on into the future”, says Heather. “With the dis-establishment of the club we did not know how the service that we provided for so many years was going continue, so to have the Foundation’s help is fantastic – its great that Ester’s legacy will live on forever”.

Northland Community Foundation General Manager Greta Buchanan adds that, in addition to sports clubs, this is a critical service for ailing community organisations that have a residual sum of money but no way of using those funds into the future. “We are aware of many community organisations out there with this challenge, so we are happy to provide a solution for them and continue the great work that they were established for in the first place” says Greta.

Sport Northland has agreed to provide this service as part of what they do in the Northland Water Safety initiative that they deliver. Brent Eastwood CEO of Sport Northland states “It was such a pleasure to support the Okau Swimming Club with the creation of the Learn2Swim Assistance Fund. Northlanders have such a great need for these types of lessons as we spend so much time in or around the water, especially during the summer months. This fund will enable us to expand the Sport Northland – Water Safety initiative, which will help keep our children safe in the water.”

The Northland Community Foundation can accept further donations to the Fund, go to the website here to make a donation: https://northlandcommunityfoundation.org.nz/donate/ or email info@northlandcommunityfoundation.org.nz

For more details about the WaterSafe Programme go to Sport Northland’s website here: https://www.sporty.co.nz/sportnorthland/Get-Active/WaterSafe-Programme-Info-1

Article by Brent Eastwood (CEO of Sport Northland).

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Learn to Swim Legacy Fund and Sport Northland

Posted on: 02/02/21

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