Warmun children participate in their first Kayak Race

The children of Warmun, a remote Indigenous community in the Kimberley, recently participated in their first Kayak Race at the Remote Pool, an event organised by Pool Manager Steve Waterman.

The Kayak Race was an opportunity for the local children to practice their aquatic skills, as they were given various tasks to complete in the 25 metre pool. The kids raced in pairs and sometimes solo, paddling out into the pool, where they were required to search for and retrieve coloured sinky toys, before returning back to the start on their kayak to place the toys inside a hoola hoop. 

"The event was a great way for the kids to further develop their co-ordination and balance, duck diving, search and retrieve, and teamwork skills," said Steve. "It was an awesome day, the kids had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed themselves racing against each other and finding their treasure." 

Research shows that people in regional Western Australia are 2.3 times more likely to be involved in a drowning incident than those in the metro area, with Aboriginal Australians representing 7.4% of drowning incidents in WA. The Remote Aboriginal Swimming Pools Project (RASPP) aims to provide recreational and education swimming programs to remote communities such as Warmun, encouraging safe aquatic participation amongst Indigenous groups.

The Kayak Race was a fun and educational experience that saw the children of Warmun working together and supporting one another in the pool. Such activities are important in supporting Indigenous groups in their water safety education.

You can learn more about the important work of our Remote Aboriginal Swimming Pool Program at the link below.