AFAC staff with Walter and Wendy Watchdog

Walter and Wendy on location in Armadale

Young children are at the greatest risk of drowning and we know supervision is the key. Walter and Wendy Watchdog are here to help reinforce this message.

To kick off the summer holidays, Armadale Fitness and Aquatic Centre (AFAC) has been running a week-long Watch Around Water event.

To make the event special they have a ball pit, games, pool toys, and we hear some special guests also made an appearance. Who else other than Walter and Wendy – they wouldn’t have missed it for the world!

The Watch Around Water program is a joint initiative between Royal Life Saving WA and Leisure Institute of Western Australia Aquatics (LIWA) to raise awareness among parents and primary caregivers to take on the responsibility of active supervision whilst visiting public aquatic facilities.

City of Armadale Mayor Ruth Butterfield said: “Watch Around Water Week is an important reminder of water safety, as we head into the summer holidays. We are pleased to support the initiative at AFAC and want to use this as an opportunity to ensure everyone keeps this front of mind when they are around the water, as a child can drown in less than 20 seconds”.

Now is more important than ever with summer well and truly here and public pools getting busier – people must stay vigilant.

Events such as these engage the community in a fun and interactive way whilst promoting serious messaging, and it seems to be working.

One attendee said, ‘’The phone use around the pool has dropped from what it used to be. Parents are right by the water, or in it, supervising.’’

There was also an opportunity to learn CPR skills, with pool lifeguards providing manikins and getting the kids involved offering free sessions on how to respond in an emergency as well as a chance to test your knowledge on water safety with an interactive quiz.

Jordan Caffery, Aquatic Operations Team Leader at Armadale Fitness and Aquatic Centre has been happy with the event turnout and engagement from the community and the best news is there is still one day to go.

Make sure you don’t miss out and get yourself and your family down to Armadale Fitness and Aquatic Centre by Sunday to join in on the fun!

To learn more about the Watch Around Water program, follow the link below.