Royal Life Saving Pilbara staff Tim Turner and Jacqui Forbes
Our new home in the Pilbara
Royal Life Saving WA is working hard to increase our training and programming presence in the Pilbara region of our state, to ensure people across this vast area have access to vital swimming and water safety skills and education. This region is rich with opportunities to take part in aquatic activity, with many inland waterways, coastal swimming locations and an abundance of home pools to help locals deal with the hot climate.
In the past 12 months we have employed two staff in the region who are overseeing the development of our Pilbara programming. Jacqui Forbes, in her role as Pilbara Development officer, is working to increase the delivery of swimming, lifesaving and water safety services to the Pilbara by leveraging off the existing networks, infrastructure and activities at the local aquatic centres, while Tim Turner, as Talent Pool Program Manager, is working to develop the capacity of young Aboriginal people across the Pilbara to ensure they can learn the skills needed to gain employment in the aquatic, sport and recreation industries.
It’s been an exciting week for our Pilbara team, who’ve moved into their new official office in South Hedland. Tim Turner is looking forward to the opportunities this permanent base will open up.
“We’re now based at Unit 2, Lotteries House in South Hedland. It’s looking a little bare but we’ll do our best to furnish. Very exciting to have our own office and despite our humble beginnings we have confidence it will grow into something special and a hive of activity."
From this office Royal Life Saving WA’s Pilbara team will be working to expand all elements of our work in the region including:
- Growth of the Talent Pool youth engagement – employment initiative
- Aquatic Industry support, training and advocacy
- Community Education across the breadth of our training programs
- Health Promotion and research activities
- Encouraging local people to be safe when they are in, on or around water.
Royal Life Saving WA would like to thank our important sponsors in the region who have helped us to reach this key milestone, including Principal Community Partner BHP, the Australian Government through the Building Better Regions Fund and the WA State Government’s Department of Communities.
If you’d like to find out more about our work across the Pilbara region please click the link below, and we’d love for you to get involved!
