Swim and Survive program extends to Balgo

8 May 2023

Kristy Pollett and Amanda ViljoenThanks to funding from Lotterywest, Royal Life Saving WA was able to take our Swim and Survive program to one of WA’s most remote Aboriginal communities.

Royal Life Saving swimming instructor Amanda Viljoen travelled to Balgo, in the south-east Kimberley, to deliver the lessons over a nine-day program during March.

Around 70 children aged 5-15 participated in the Swim and Survive lessons, while some of the town’s youngest children participated in an Infant Aquatics program Amanda also delivered for the community.

As a remote Aboriginal community, Balgo is not somewhere our trainers and instructors are able to regularly visit; however, Amanda considers it to be one of the best experiences of her swim teaching career. 

landscape surrounding Balgo“I was incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to go to Balgo, somewhere I would never normally visit, and be able to see parts of Western Australia most people would never encounter,” she said.

“I was lucky enough to be included in a day out to see some amazing sights surrounding Balgo – rock art that would be tens of thousands of years old, sunsets overlooking amazing landscapes and a visit to Mulan, a neighbouring community.”

The welcome she received from pool managers Graeme and Kristy and the community as a whole did not go unnoticed, but Amanda says the biggest highlight for her was the participation of the high school students in the program. 

“Their enthusiasm and eagerness to be at the pool every day was a really positive moment, for me,” said Amanda. 

Balgo children sitting along edge of poolThe community's engagement with the program is a great result, considering the prevalence of drowning in regional WA being almost double compared to other parts of WA. 

The Swim and Survive program is an important investment for Royal Life Saving and with the continued support from Lotterywest we hope that as a community we can help to prevent drowning in all areas and among all communities within WA. 

To learn more about our Swim and Survive program, visit the link below:

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