Rodena Lightbody with Walter the Watchdog and a group of children at Bruce Rock pool
Making an impact in regional WA
Rodena Lightbody has been involved with Royal Life Saving Society WA for 18 years, completing her AUSTSWIM swim instructor training, Bronze Medallion and Resuscitation training with another long-time Royal Life Saving Society trainer Sallie Watson.
Having not done much swimming since she was a young girl Rodena was ready to challenge herself, and having small children by this stage she knew how important it was for her to have these skills to pass on to them. "I wanted to ensure they learnt the Swim and Survive skills needed to be safe around water in a sun-drenched, water activity loving state like Western Australia" she says.
What Rodena didn't know at this stage was just how many young lives she would impact with these skills. "I became involved in swimming teaching, and taught people of all ages and stages. I also became involved in teaching the Bronze Medallion component of the Education Department's VacSwim program, teaching 60 children each year over a period of 12 years." That's more than 700 young lives that Rodena has had a positive impact on through that program alone, by teaching them vital swimming and lifesaving skills.
In recent years she has been living and working in Bruce Rock, a town in the Eastern Wheatbelt region of WA. Rodena is the pool manager at the Bruce Rock Aquatic Centre, which is a Royal Life Saving Society WA Endorsed Swim School, where she enjoys assisting with and overseeing the swimming programs. She says these skills are crucial in regional parts of WA; "With so many farm dams, watering holes and lakes in regional areas children and adults need Swim and Survive skills. My vision is to see all people across my community have the water awareness and swimming skills to be able to save themselves, because in a regional lake or dam there is no lifeguard to save you if you get into trouble."
Royal Life Saving Society WA commends Rodena on the impact she's made in her community and our state over the past 18 years, and thanks her for her commitment to swimming and water safety.
