Royal Life Saving joins the fun at Chung Wah Festival

Royal Life Saving WA’s Swim and Survive Access and Equity team attended the Perth Chung Wah Cultural Festival last weekend at Burswood Park.

Thie Festival ran over one week and showcased Chinese culture, with Chinese Art exhibitions, dragon boat racing, lantern festivals, cultural performances, workshops and Chinese storytelling.

Royal Life Saving WA ran a stall on Saturday promoting Swimming and Water Safety Awareness to the Chinese community, with flyers available providing information about the programs we provide for multicultural groups and general water safety tips. Our team also ran a Lucky Dip activity, giving kids the chance to win cool merchandise, including fluffy ducks, key rings, lifesaver lollies and band aids.

Research has found that those who come to Australia from overseas have far less awareness about the importance of swimming and lifesaving skills than the rest of the population. Between 2005/06 and 2014/15, 347 people drowned in WA, with 39% of these people born overseas.

Royal Life Saving WA’s involvement with cultural festivals, such as Chung Wah’s, is extremely important in introducing those from other cultures to the availability of swimming and water safety education programs for their community.

You can find out more about our work in multicultural communities across WA at the link below.