Yandeyarra students dive into Term One swimming lessons

Yandeyarra students have dived into their in-term swimming lessons during Term One, with 20 students from the Yandeyarra Remote Community School receiving critical swimming skill and water safety lessons. 

As part of the Department of Education’s Remote and Regional In-term Swimming Program, students in the remote Pilbara community have been regularly participating in swimming lessons throughout the term. The program was delivered thanks to a service agreement between Royal Life Saving WA and the Department of Education, with funding provided by Principal Community Partner BHP.

Aboriginal children are 3.6 times more likely to drown than non-Aboriginal children, with 61.1% of all drowning deaths involving children aged 5 to 14 years old occurring in regional Western Australia. The Remote and Regional In-term Swimming Program provides regular swimming development opportunities for at-risk communities such as Yandeyarra, which has a 100% Aboriginal student population at the school.  

The lessons at Yandeyarra Remote Pool were facilitated by Royal Life Saving WA’s Sandra McKenzie, our Yandeyarra Pool Manager. Learning essential swimming and water survival techniques, the remote community has been able to access critical skills to participate in, on and around water safely. 

Royal Life Saving WA is pleased to collaborate with government and non-government organisations like the Department of Education and BHP in our efforts to ensure no child misses out on learning swimming and water safety skills.

You can find out more about our work in regional and remote areas of WA at the link below.