Saving lives in the land down under
By Heidi Heater, a senior from Jackson, Ky.
WILMORE, KY—The Coogee beach in Sydney, Australia is a safer place these days because of Drew Lesch-Wragge ’07. He volunteers as a surf lifesaver, a job similar to a lifeguard, on weekends and public holidays during the swimming season.
Lesch-Wragge grew up swimming, kayaking and windsurfing, and wanted to maintain his life saving skills in order to help others in need.
“I decided that undergoing training to be a surf lifesaver would be a very valuable skill to me, provided how much time I like to spend near the water,” he said. “It’s been great to learn about the dangers of the ocean and first aid training can come in handy just about anywhere.”
Lesch-Wragge believes that his participation in athletics, work on collegiate publications and classes at Asbury College helped prepare him for life after college.
“The people that I met at Asbury College made the difference,” he said. “My experience through the College helped me to develop discipline and balance in my life.”
This discipline helped Lesch-Wragge as he trained for eight weeks to become a certified surf lifesaver. Surf Life Saving Australia has existed since 1907 when surf bathing became popular. The SLSA demands that each surf lifesaver earn a Bronze Medal or a Surf Rescue Certificate before going on patrol. In training, Lesch-Wragge ran, swam, learned various types of rescues and carries, read rip currents and practiced CPR.
Once during training, his class swam in the same water a shark had just vacated. Lesch-Wragge’s group ran, stretched and practiced first aid on the beach until the shark had departed before going for a swim.
“I swam extra fast, and always kept my eyes below me watching for the shark,” he said. “I kept thinking to myself, ‘If he comes back, I’m going to be really mad at our instructors for making us swim this morning!’ Luckily, the shark decided to take his business elsewhere.”
While he’s patrolling the beaches, Lesch-Wragge scans the beach, spotting backpackers, swimmers, and profiling people who have more of a risk for getting into trouble.
“Jellyfish stings are quite common, but very rarely cause any serious trouble,” he said. “We also get the occasional shark that slips by the nets, but its quite rare, and even more rare that they would ever cause a problem.”
Lesch-Wragge is originally from Fredonia, N.Y. and received a media communications degree from Asbury College. He currently holds a sales position at Nextbyte, the largest Apple reseller in Australia.
Released: May 30, 2008
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Tagged: features, media-communications and alumni
