Bronze skills for Halls Creek community

Recently Royal Life Saving WA Kimberley Development officer Glenn Taylor travelled to the Halls Creek community to teach vital water safety skills to several community members. Indigenous groups have been identified as a demographic at a high-risk of drowning and non-fatal drowning in Australia, with Aboriginal children drowning at a rate two and a half times that of non-Aboriginal children, making water safety education like this vital for communities like Halls Creek.

The participants took part in a Bronze Medallion course, learning swimming, rescue and resuscitation skills so that they are prepared to assist should a water rescue or drowning response be needed in their community. Those taking part came from a range of community groups including three staff for Garnduwa, one from Clontarf Halls Creek, a local trainee, a teacher, teachers aid and five students from Yiyili Remote Community School.

Glenn says all participants enjoyed the training and were thoroughly engaged! “Everyone who took on the course passed and this qualification now enables the teachers and assistants to safely take students across their community to participate in water-based activities. This is a great opportunity for them to pass on their water safety knowledge to other community members.”

Royal Life Saving WA is pleased to see these Halls Creek locals equipped with water safety and rescue skills as this helps to create a stronger and more water safe environment is this remote part of our state!

You can find out more about our work across the Kimberley at the link below.