Children from Parkwood Primary School with their Royal Life Saving water safety instructor

Water safety skills for new West Aussies

As summer fast approaches, Royal Life Saving WA has been busy presenting water-safety talks to new West Australians.

Water-safety awareness and the ability to swim are central to the Aussie lifestyle. Our climate and diversity of waterways promote a range of social, recreational and sporting activities in, on and around water.

One of the key aims of Royal Life Saving is to increase access to swimming and water-safety education for all Western Australians. Through the Adult Migrant English Program (TAFE Mirrabooka and Northbridge), the Intensive English Centres at Highgate Primary School and Parkwood Primary School, and Thornlie Islamic College, Royal Life Saving has been able to teach an incredible 572 adults and children to be safe in and around water just in terms 3 and 4!

It’s hoped that education programs such as this will help reduce drowning deaths amongst the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CaLD) community in WA. In the last five years, there have been 50 drowning deaths in WA from the CaLD community, which accounts for 37% of all drowning deaths in the State.

Thank you to our key sponsors – the Office of Multicultural Interests, Department of Sport and Recreation and BHP, for assisting with this program.