Bidyadanga children make a splash at swimming carnival

Children from the Lagrange Remote Community School enjoyed their annual swimming carnival at our Bidyadanga Remote Aboriginal Swimming Pool this week!

Thursday's carnival was a fantastic way to finish off the term and gave the children an opportunity to showcase the swimming and water safety skills they've learned during six weeks of Swim and Survive swimming lessons.

Bidyadanga Pool Manager Bernie Egan says it's been a busy term. "The primary school students came along for their Swim and Survive lessons, and we really saw them continue to improve their skills in the water, The high school students have also been using the pool this term for their outdoor education class, learning how to snorkel."

Both primary and high school students attended the swimming carnival, with the highlight of the day being the novelty relay races. This year it was crocodile races for the junior students and life jacket relays for the older students.

Bernie says the carnival is always well enjoyed by the whole community. "It was good to see so many parents come out and support the students and school to watch the carnival. It really was an excellent day for everyone and the kids all went home happy and just a bit tired after a big day out at the pool."

Our remote aboriginal swimming pool program, supported bythe Housing Authority and BHP, aims to ensure that aboriginal children in remote areas of WA have an opportunity to learn vital swimming and lifesaving skills, with research showing that aboriginal children are 8.6 times more likely to drown that non-aboriginal children. 

You can find out more about the program at the link below.