Pilbara and Kimberley kids dive head first into water safety

Royal lifesaving in the Pilbara and Kimberley has reached a educational milestone with more than 1500 children across 17 remote communities taking part in the water safety program in the past three years. The service is a collaboration between Royal Life Saving WA and the Department of Education to offer regional communities with the benefit of school swimming lessons. Communities including Jigalong, Yandeyarra, Bidyadanga, Burringurrah, Warmun, Balgo and Kalumburu as well as 10 schools across the Fitzroy Valley are currently involved. RLSWA Kimberley development officer Glenn Taylor said participation rates for the regions was a priority as swimming lessons were significantly lower in the North West. “The region recorded participation rates that are 5.8 per cent lower than the rest of the State,” he said. “Given that people in regional areas are 2.3 times more likely to drowning than those in the metro area, and that the drowning rate is amongst Aboriginal Australians is twice that of non-Aboriginal Australians, the work being done through our partnership with the Department of Education is vital in addressing these statistics.” Mr Taylor said the program has also seen qualified swim instructors journey to the regions. “Many of these instructors have shown incredible flexibility to ensure the swimming lessons are run in a way that is relevant to the local community,” he said. “This has included conducting lessons in the local river, after recognising that many in these communities enjoy recreating in the river environment.” Sessions are held in term one and term four of the schooling year.