Tribute to Dick Caine

Hansard ID: HANSARD-1323879322-97210

Hansard session: Fifty-Sixth Parliament, First Session (56-1)

Tribute to Dick Caine

Mr MARK COURE (Oatley) (13:26:21

): It is an honour to speak in the Chamber today about a sporting legend of the St George area, Dick Caine. His name is synonymous with swimming in the St George area and Team Caine is a familiar sight at the Carss Park pool. Generations of young people have been taught to swim by Dick and his wife Jenny. For more than 45 years, Dick, Jenny and their dedicated teaching staff have instructed and trained local swimmers in a competitive and fun environment. Dick's expertise and relentless passion for the sport of swimming has produced and developed a number of Olympians and world record holders, including Michelle Ford, Janelle Elford, Karen Phillips, Stacey Gartrell and of course Michellie Jones.

Dick has been a wonderful ambassador for the sport of swimming and is committed to continue to train young swimmers. Dick's priority always has been to deliver learn-to-swim and recreational opportunities to school children and seniors in the community. The fact that Dick has trained Olympic, world and Australian champions is a credit to him but it in no way diminishes the importance of teaching children to swim and an awareness and understanding of water safety. Throughout his 45-year career Dick has taught thousands of children, from babies to teenagers, to swim. As Australians we know how important it is to be able to swim well and be water smart. Dick has played an important role in shaping and delivering this message. Children are alive to and aware of the dangers of being in and around water because they have participated in Dick's swimming lessons.

As a community we are grateful to Dick and the Caine swimming team, who have worked tirelessly to promote the importance of learning to swim. Whilst it is impossible to put a figure on the number of children who have avoided drowning due to swimming lessons, we know that every life lost to drowning is one life too many. However, change is upon Dick and his family, and after 45 years of being the driving force behind the team at Carss Park he will hand over some of the responsibility of running the pool to the Georges River Council. Six years ago Dick had a stroke. During his recovery, doctors discovered he had cancer of the thyroid gland. Sadly, his condition continues to worsen. Dick, Jenny and their family made the decision to focus on his health—a huge and difficult decision for a man who has dedicated almost 50 years of his life to teaching and coaching the sport he loves.

Leader

From 1 July this year Dick will hand over the day-to-day running of the Carss Park pool to the Georges River Council. It then will be responsible for pool maintenance, cleaning, servicing and repairing equipment and Dick can focus on his health and teaching when he can. The Carss Park swimming complex has produced more than just great swimmers. As part of Dick's vision it has been a training facility for athletes and has been used by many sporting champions, including marathon swimmer Susie Maroney, ironman Chris McCormack, boxers Kostya Tszyu, Jeff Fenech and Anthony Mundine, and for nearly 40 years the mighty St George rugby league team. Recently, I read an article in my local newspaper, the, in which Dick is reported as saying:

Forget the champions, it's the thousands of kids I have coached who have made it so special. I love the kids, and I hope they think I am more than just a coach. We are like family.

This summarises the commitment and involvement of Dick and his family to the St George area. He has a passion for swimming, a passion for teaching and a genuine desire to see each child do their best and succeed. As a youngster I too learned to swim at the Caine swimming pool. Unfortunately, no amount of training was going to turn me into an Olympian, but I learnt how to swim and it is still something I enjoy doing with my son.

Dick was 20 years old in 1966 when he was awarded the lease for the Carss Park pool. He still cannot believe he was successful. Having left school at the age of 12, Dick struggled to complete the paperwork to apply for the lease—but he did and it was the start of a long and wonderful coaching career. The Dick Caine swimming school grew from a small number of swimmers to hundreds of kids participating in lessons and squad training. On behalf of the St George community I thank Dick and his family for all they have contributed to the sport of swimming. I wish Dick well as he manages his health and look forward to seeing him poolside at Carss Park, coaching and shouting instructions to the next generation of young swimmers.

TEMPORARY SPEAKER (Ms Anna Watson):

I will now leave the chair and the House will resume at 2.15 p.m.