Everyone Is Enamoured With Dolphin Trainer Turned Federal MP Sam Lim
"A dolphin will never hurt you."
Sam Lim is stealing hearts and spreading warmth in his new role as an elected politician by reflecting on his past gig as a dolphin trainer.
A video of the incoming Labor MP for Tangney is currently doing the rounds, where the former dolphin trainer, flanked by fawning women, fondly recalls his time working with aquatic mammals. And with respect: between this, and Mark McGowan’s takedown of Peter Dutton, this is definitely the most I’ve ever cared about Perth.
After talking about the difficulties of his upbringing in Malaysia — growing up in in a home with a leaky roof and no flooring — he went on to recall applying for the role of “dolphin trainer” which he described as “the best job ever”.
Sam Lim, MP for Tangney says he was born in a poor family, living in a home with no power or water for the first 15 years of his life. He speaks 9 languages and was a dolphin trainer.
He says he loved it because dolphins "are so genuine, dolphins will never hurt you." #AusPol pic.twitter.com/1enCKY5vI9
— Caitlyn Davey (@cait_davey) May 22, 2022
“I love it, because dolphins are so genuine. A dolphin will never hurt you. If you feel hurt, you jump into the swimming pool, and the dolphin will come to you. And try to comfort you. So that was the best part of my career.”
Lim, who was most recently a Senior Police Constable at the WA Australia Police Force, was also named Officer of the Year at the Police Excellence Awards six months ago.
“Language is an important element in communication,” Lim, who speaks ten languages, told SBS Mandarin last year. “For example, when you meet Hokkiens and they hear you speak Hokkien, the barriers dissolve.”
Lim’s language skills were a crucial part of his police work, especially given the misinformation and disinformation that flourished during the pandemic.
“The most important thing in the pandemic [is to act], people are panicking, and rumours are flying everywhere,” he said. “I would quickly translate English information into Chinese, Burmese, etc. And then answer their questions. This can quickly mitigate their anxiety.”
Lim speaks ten languages including English, Malay, Indonesian, Burmese, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Hokkien.
To summarise, I think we can all agree that, Sam Lim.
— Naaman Zhou (@naamanzhou) May 22, 2022
Photo credit: Naaman Zhou/Twitter