Children of Cue journey for swimming and water safety education

A group of children from the small Mid West town of Cue are participating in a Swim and Survive program at Mount Magnet, thanks to a collaboration between the Shire of Cue and Royal Life Saving WA.

The Mount Magnet Memorial Swimming Pool, where the children are participating in the lessons, is located around 80km south of Cue – or about an hour’s drive away. The children travel by bus to the pool on Saturday mornings for the lessons.

Swimming and water safety skills are vital for all Western Australians, and ensuring these skills are taught in regional and remote areas of WA is a focus for Royal Life Saving WA’s Swim and Survive team. Those in regional WA are 2.3 times more likely to be involved in a drowning incident than those in the Perth metro area. The Mid West region also has the highest drowning rate in the state (14.3 drownings per 100,000).

It can often be difficult to get swimming instructors in remote locations, and a nation-wide shortage of swimming instructors is compounding the issue. Royal Life Saving WA is working hard to ensure that children right across our state have the opportunity to learn these vital swimming and water safety skills.

Sydney Kim, Youth Coordinator at the Cue Youth Centre, said the kids really enjoyed their first lesson which took place on 23rd October. “Our youths had their first swimming lesson this past Saturday with lovely instructor Beth. All children have had a blast; they have been placed into appropriate levels and are looking forward to more lessons to come.”

There are also plans to hold a ‘Have a Go’ day at the pool in collaboration with Water Polo WA and Synchro WA at the end of November, providing an opportunity for the children to try their hand at the sports. The Swim and Survive program for the children of Cue will be running until March 2022.

Learn more about our work in regional and remote areas at the link below.