Some of the brave participants at Melville Midwinter 2022!

Swimmers take icy plunge to get involved in Melville Midwinter

Members of Royal Life Saving WA's Workforce Solutions team returned to support the City of Melville's 'Melville Midwinter' event on Saturday 25th June after the success of last year’s inaugural event.

Hundreds of people from the community made their way down to Dyoondalup Point Walter to experience an evening of song, spoken word, visual art, and dance performances.

Attendees were encouraged to pause, stop, and begin again as they wandered through the nine performances inspired by the notion of illuminating the darkness and nurturing new life.

People made their way through the lantern-lit path enjoying hot beverages and winter foods before watching the final spectacle.

Those who were able to brave the cold joined in the last performance, jumping off the Point Walter jetty into the freezing Derbarl Yerrigan and swimming to shore. 

Pool Lifeguard Shift Officer James Barton was accompanied by fellow Pool Lifeguards Abe Levison and Tom Noordzy ensuring that all jetty jumpers’ safety was maintained as they took the plunge into the icy water. 

The team were positioned around the event, with the shift officer situated at the end of the jetty, a lifeguard on a rescue board in the water and a further lifeguard situated along the route of the swimmers returning to shore. These potential first responders ensured the finale went off without a hitch, overseeing the event to ensure all participants remained safe. 

It is great to see so many members of the Melville community getting involved in this local initiative to make it a success for the second year. We look forward to supporting the City of Melville in next year’s big winter event! 

To learn more about Royal Life Saving WA's professional lifeguard services for events, visit the link below.