For more than three decades, countless young children have learned to swim in Joy Dawdy’s backyard pool.

Her daughter, Brittany, is proud of the fact that some of those youngsters have gone on to become swim instructors themselves.

And, just like the City of St. Thomas, which will enact a personal flotation device bylaw in the aftermath of the drowning of Ryan Davies last fall in Lake Margaret, Dawdy is doing her bit to promote water safety.

This is her third location for conducting the swimming classes, she explained in a conversation yesterday (July 4). She currently lives near Central Elgin Collegiate Institute.

“Before this, I was doing it at our home on Balaclava Street, and it initially started at my parents’ house on Hughes Street.”