Port Hedland adults dive into lessons

16 Port Hedland residents from multicultural backgrounds took part in adult swimming lessons at South Hedland Aquatic Centre during Term 2 this year, thanks to funding from the Town of Port Hedland and principal community partner BHP. 

The lessons, taught by Royal Life Saving WA Swimming Instructor Sandy Rodgers, ran throughout May and June.  

Some participants had taken part before, and others were new but all of them were keen to dive in!  

“Before the term began, the participants expressed their excitement to me. [They were] grateful for the opportunity to develop their swimming skills as adults,” Sandy said.  
 
“I am glad I am able to teach adult swimming lessons again, I have been teaching for over 20 years and I just love teaching adults! The classes are beaut!” 

Programs like this are crucial because they provide at-risk groups with the opportunity to learn important swimming and lifesaving skills.  

Research indicates that within multicultural groups, there is a need to raise awareness about the importance of swimming and lifesaving skills.  

Additionally, there is a concerning trend of multicultural communities being disproportionately represented in drowning statistics in Western Australia, with 33.3% of fatal drowning incidents during the 2021-22 financial year involving individuals born overseas. 

This risk increases in regional and remote communities, where people are two and a half times more likely to be involved in a drowning incident than those in the Perth metropolitan area. 

Royal Life Saving WA is committed to community development in regional and remote locations across WA, working with various partners to provide training, participation and leadership development opportunities to residents that aim to prevent drowning in these locations. 

Such partnerships with communities like Port Hedland and organisations like BHP allow us to deliver a range of water safety and drowning prevention programs throughout Western Australia. 

These programs aim to ensure that all Western Australians have the awareness, skills and knowledge needed to participate in a range of aquatic activities at all aquatic locations. 
 
For more information about the regional and remote programs, visit the link below!