Jigalong kids get in the swim

Children have enjoyed two weeks of swimming lessons at our remote aboriginal swimming pool in the Jigalong Community in recent weeks. Jigalong is in WA’s Pilbara region, about 165 kilometres east of Newman. It is home to around 420 people, a majority of whom are Aboriginal.

40 children participated in the recent lessons, learning vital swimming and water safety skills through our Swim and Survive program. This is the second block of swimming lessons these children have completed at the pool this season, with lessons also conducted in November last year.

These lessons were made possible thanks to our partnership with the Department of Education. This partnership ensures that schools in remote communities, particularly in the Pilbara and Kimberley regions, have access to swimming and water safety lessons.

The temperatures at our remote pools are starting to cool down, with the pools set to be shut down for the season over the coming weeks. However, Jigalong Pool Manager David Lucas says that didn’t deter the kids! “Myself and my partner Candy Coates ran the lessons and despite the colder water temperatures at this time of the year the children have been having a really great time!”

These lessons are vital for children in these regional areas of WA, especially with the wet season leaving fast flowing rivers and waterways across the region. The water safety and survival skills taught in these lessons truly have the potential to save lives once the pool shuts for the season and the children tend to play in the nearby inland waterways.

You can find out more about our Remote Aboriginal Swimming Pool program and the impact it’s having in regional WA at the link below.