Bidyadanga season off to a fun start

Our Remote Aboriginal Swimming Pools are in full swing for the 2021-22 season, with eight remote Aboriginal communities across the north of our state benefitting from the swimming, water safety and community engagement activities they provide.

One of these is in the remote community of Bidyadanga, 180kms south of Broome in the Kimberley region. Pool Manager Bernie Egan hosted a special pool party for the community recently, encouraging locals to get together and celebrate the new season with a whole lot of food and fun activities. The pool has also brought the inflatable Aqua Run out a number of times which is always popular with the local kids.

Bernie says she always appreciates help from other locals in running these events. “Over the years a special relationship has developed between the Pool and the local Bidyadanga Police. This season has seen the police assist in both Aquarun afternoons and the Pool Parties, run under the PCYC banner.”

For many pool managers in regional areas it’s difficult to run major events due to a lack of extra staff to assist in supervision, so Bernie is always thankful when the local police answer the call and step in to assist. “It means we can run events and know that everyone who is at the pool is well supervised. The Police also benefit in building relations with community members, especially the kids, in a fun and social environment.”

Bernie says the pool parties usually continue into the night which makes them extra special for the kids. “They love getting in the pool at night with some extra special inflatables to play with. The PCYC also put on a BBQ so that no one goes home hungry. It’s an event that attracts many community members with the last pool party seeing more than 120 people come out and enjoy a night in the pool.”

Bernie is one of Royal Life Saving WA’s longest serving remote pool managers, in her 14th year in the role, and has built an incredibly positive relationship with the local Bidyadanga community. We look forward to seeing all the lifesaving fun she shares with the community over the coming months!