INNISFAIL – Michelle Taylor has a special memory about water.
It’s a memory of security the 15-year-old has had since she was a toddler taking a parent and tot lesson.
“As I'm getting older I'm realizing that your sense of security in the water is a very important thing to have, and being able to help with that is very important to me because I don't think anyone should be scared of swimming,” said Michelle.
This past summer the Innisfail Grade 11 student achieved her national lifeguard certification but she has to wait until Nov. 1 when she turns 16 to become a lifeguard.
In the meantime, Michelle has already proved herself in the pool and community, having won a Rotary Youth Leadership Award when she was in Grade 9 and being a dedicated volunteer at the Innisfail Aquatic Centre.
On Sept. 17 she became the seventh annual winner of the Bates Wardle Award, an honour created in 2018 by family and friends in memory of Frances (Frankie) Bates to carry the legacy of lifeguarding bravery and service.
“She's been swimming since the time she could walk,” said Michelle’s dad Charles, who was at the aquatic centre with other family members to experience the joy of seeing his daughter honoured. “I am very proud my daughter has won this award. It's a dream come true for her.”
The Bates Wardle Award honours volunteer-oriented students from Innisfail and Cochrane, and is designed to celebrate their commitment to volunteerism, as well as recognizing the importance of the role that lifeguards play in the community.
Each winner receives a $750 cash bursary to cover past and future training expenses.
Gavin Bates, an Innisfail community builder, spearheaded the family effort to create the award following the passing of his wife Frankie from cancer on June 29, 2017. She was 67.
“They all have their own future desires and careers. They all have their own different volunteer activities that they've done,” said Gavin following the award presentation on Sept. 17. “The one thing in common is they seem to be so dedicated to their school and their lifeguarding.
“They are a special fraternity.”
And how special it truly is.
Each winner, including Michelle, has been inspired by the lifesaving story from the late Bob Wardle, who passed away this year on April 2. He was 88.
It was on Aug. 10, 1951 in the sunburnt dusty southeastern Alberta village of Tilley when the 15-year-old Wardle, an aspiring lifeguard, heroically made repeated dives into a 10-foot-deep cistern to save the life of a 20-month-old toddler who had reportedly been underwater for 15 minutes.
That child was Frankie Bates.
She was saved to have a long, wonderful and productive life until her passing in 2017. She had 65 additional years of living because of Wardle’s heroism.
Frankie's survival meant meeting and marrying Gavin.
They raised three boys -- Stephen, Michael, and Mark. The couple had seven grandchildren. Eleven people saved.
Wardle’s heroism was recognized by the Royal Lifesaving Society.
He was selected 73 years ago as the recipient of the first Lord Mountbatten Lifesaving Award in the entire group of British Commonwealth countries.
“That story very much inspired me and I'm appreciative he (Wardle) was there to save her life, because sometimes we all have to give in, even if no one's watching,” said Michelle. “And to know that he saved her life is very reassuring, and it inspires me greatly.”
That inspiration from Wardle, who was the same age as Michelle when he saved Frankie, has moved the teenager to offer a message to the young of today.
“Water safety is something that shouldn't be ignored or pushed to the side. I think it should have a lot of attention to it,” said Michelle, “Definitely don't ignore it and appreciate its importance.”
