Inflatable fun for remote kids at Fitzroy Crossing

The recent Royal Life Saving National Drowning Report found that people were 2.3 times more likely to drown in regional and remote Western Australia than in the Perth metro area. With such an abundance of amazing inland waterways to enjoy in our state’s regional areas it’s vital that those living in or visiting these places have swimming and water safety skills to enjoy these locations safely.

Our Remote Aboriginal Swimming Pool at Fitzroy Crossing has been working for a number of years to ensure families in remote communities throughout the Fitzroy Valley have an opportunity to learn these vital skills. This week 35 children and 11 adults from the Wangkatjungka Remote Community School visited the pool to enjoy some serious fun in the water.

Wangkatjungka remote community is an hour and a half drive from Fitzroy, so after that long drive the children were super excited to enjoy two hours of fun activities, including some time on the pool inflatable, ball games and fun with the pool noodles. While the children’s time in the water during this visit was focused on fun, it also enabled them to practise the swimming skills they have learnt in previous Swim and Survive lessons at the pool.

Pool Manager Trevor Caporn says, with the remote pool season just getting underway, the kids enjoyed being back in the water! “The kids were not told that the inflatable was going to be in the water so it was great to see the look on their faces as they walked through the pool gate. This special pool time was thoroughly enjoyed and the teacher told me that the kids slept the whole way home on the bus!”

Our Remote Aboriginal Swimming Pools, which are supported by the Department of Communities and Principal Community Partner BHP, make a big impact on the seven communities they service across the Pilbara, Kimberley and Gascoyne regions of our state. You can find out more about the pools at the link below.