SNS Lifeguards Celebrate Season with Rescues, Woman Certification & New Lookout Tower
The Società Nazionale di Salvamento (SNS) lifeguards gathered to say farewell and review the season’s achievements. About fifty attended the farewell dinner at the Camping S. Benedetto di Peschiera at the end of August, among them seven young women holding SNS certifications. The director of the center, Verona section, Nicola Soliman, emphasized that during the season numerous rescues were carried out, ten of which were crucial in saving lives of individuals at imminent risk of drowning.
The rescues occurred along a stretch of lake from Malcesine to Sirmione, within the jurisdiction of the Verona section of the SNS. “The profession of the lifeguard,” explains Soliman, “must not be thought of as exclusively male. Among our team, we have ten young women, all well-trained and certified. Some, like Arianna from Verona, Ilaria from Milan, and Pia from Trento, contributed significantly to rescue operations in difficult situations.”
Reflections on the Skills of the Girls and Installation of the Lookout Tower
“It was about time that the work of us girls was acknowledged,” says Ilaria. “We do this job with dedication and passion, and we do not feel inferior to the boys. We passed very tough tests during the training course, comparable to the physical efforts required from the men.” Pia highlighted the importance of installing the new lookout tower. The first tower was set up on the beach of Lido Belvedere in S. Benedetto di Lugana. “Thanks to the tower, we will be able to monitor a significant section of the lake and intervene immediately if needed.”
Memory of Adriano Busato and Trophies Presentation
A poignant moment during the gathering was when the school director remembered Adriano Busato, a well-known diving instructor and diver, who died in the waters of Malcesine a few weeks earlier. “Adriano,” said Soliman, “left not only a large void among those who knew and respected him as a man and instructor but also left us a heavy legacy: the challenge to find a worthy successor, which will not be easy.”
A statue depicting a diver and a commemorative plaque dedicated to Adriano Busato will be submerged in the section of lake where he lost his life. During another ceremony, a recognition plaque will be awarded to Matteo Bastianello, a lifeguard at the Giunone spa in Caldiero, for saving a two-year-old girl who slipped into the large pool and an middle-aged man who was unable to resurface from the pool bottom after suffering a sudden illness.
The national president of the SNS, Giuseppe Marino, sent a fax congratulating the young rescuers and apologized for not being able to attend the celebration.
