Helping prevent drownings

Swimming instructor Mark Cairns, left, kept a watchful eye on Jonathan Fehr, 9, as he made his way across the shallow end of the pool during the Learn to Swim day for children and youth of the Mennonite community held at the Ontario Police College northeast of Aylmer on Saturday afternoon, July 25. Elgin County Ontario Provincial Police Constable Steve Coakley organized the event and arranged for experienced swimming instructors and members of the Port Stanley Beach Patrol to volunteer their time to provide water safety training and basic swimming instruction to over 60 children and youth from the Mennonite community, many of whom could not swim before the event. Const. Coakley was dispatched to an emergency at the Port Burwell public beach on Sunday, July 27, 2014 that turned out to be the drowning of Peter Hildebrandt, 15, of Mount Salem.