Working as a volunteer surf lifesaver in Wollongong earlier this year, he was able to rescue a child who was caught in a rip and more recently, resuscitated his own father who had stopped breathing.
“I applied CPR techniques and by the time, the ambulance arrived, he was conscious again before they took him to hospital,” Mouhamad said.
“Thanks to Swim Brothers, the child and my father might not be here.”
Swim Brothers was founded by Illawong’s Omar Mahmoud and Revesby’s Feroz Sattar after a group of eight men from a Revesby Mosque, had to be rescued from a rip near Forster in 2019 – luckily, there were off-duty surf lifesavers nearby.
People from migrant backgrounds are significantly over-represented in drowning statistics and it’s a trend that Omar and Feroz want to reverse, with a new group of graduates receiving their bronze medallions last weekend and becoming fully fledged volunteer lifesavers.
“Many migrants love the thought of swimming, especially in the ocean, but are unaware of its dangers,” Omar said.
“Our program teaches them about the dangers and gives them skills to overcome challenges.”
Minister for Emergency Services and State MP for Bankstown, Jihad Dib said he hoped that through this program, water safety messaging could now be relayed by these young volunteer lifesavers back into their communities.
“No matter what your background, I encourage women and men to join and learn important life-saving skills while also giving back to the community,” he said.
With the program expanding to include children, Swim Brothers and Swim Sistas programs are getting underway at Roselands Aquatic Centre in Spring.
To find out more or register for a class: swimbrothers.com.au
