Torill Hindmarch inducted
as a GLSA Honorary Member
Torill Hindmarch, M.A. said about her induction: “Thankful to be considered an honorary member. The tremendous efforts that have been made in Greece to promote aquatic activities over the years, including the formation of the GLSA, has been rewarded. I greatly applaud the efforts the GLSA has made and am pleased to see that they are now welcomed into the ILSE. It is a great honour to be included in this dynamic organisation and I hope I can contribute to its growth. We have a special affinity with water. If we have the knowledge to interact with our aquatic environment in a safe way, the therapeutic benefits are immeasurable. The work of the GLSA has a special role to play. It is the special nature of lifesaving sport that as well as inspiring youngsters to become fit and adept in the water, they can through their knowledge and skills prevent others from drowning. Lifesaving sport takes us out to the ocean where the powerful and dangerous forces of nature require us to be respectful and humble in relation to our own abilities. These are valuable assets in our universal work in drowning prevention.”
Before working for the Norwegian Lifesaving Society, Torill have been a head teacher and manager in several nurseries in Norway for over 15 years, where swimming was on the curriculum. She was an active swimmer and lifesaver as a teenager. She became an instructor and was involved in life saving education, water safety, prenatal swimming, and baby swimming since 1976 to the present day.
Torill is an active volunteer with Norwegian Life Saving for over 35 years running courses in swimming and lifesaving, starting 3 lifesaving clubs. She developed lifesaving sport as leader for the Sports Committee for NLS (1990 - 2002) and as trainer at club level and national coach. She has served on the ILSE Rescue Commision and is currently on the ILS and ILSE drowning prevention commission. As an advocate for the drowning prevention perspective in beginner swimming she has presented at national and international conferences.
In 1982, she pioneered teaching methods promoting play-based activities, songs and rhymes in baby and toddler aquatics. Since 1988, as a member of the NLS Baby Swimming Committee, she worked to instigate changes in the national teaching program toward child-initiated activity focusing the child as a subject not an object. As the 2014 recipient of the Virginia Hunt Newman Award for Baby swimming by the International Swimming Hall of Fame, her efforts to promote a “gentle approach” to baby swimming, were internationally recognized. She has presented internationally on 4 continents over the past 35 years on baby and toddler swimming. Her motto is “Let the Baby Show the Way”. Torill works professionally for the NLS as Director of Education with responsibility for developing educational programs in accordance with relevant research, educating and counseling instructors, and promoting drowning prevention perspectives to the public. She has developed a water safety education program for the NLS with awards promoting a drowning prevention perspective as opposed to a competition swimming perspective. Today, she continues to work to encourage and facilitate outdoor swimming education programs for schools and lifesaving clubs, most recently in North Norway. It is outdoors that drowning takes place so it is here we must work to truly reduce drowning.
The GLSA, President, Dr. Stathis Avramidis, said: “We are very pleased to induct Torill in our growing family. She is a calm, extremely modest and gentle person. The international swimming and lifesaving worlds are blessed to have such a dedicated servant like her. We, in the growing family of the GLSA, are all proud to be associated with such an outstanding world class authority!” Photos: Torill Hindmarch, Stathis Avramidis.
