Halls Creek kids keep cool swimming for fruit

The Swim for Fruit program is alive and kicking at the Halls Creek Aquatic and Recreation Centre, with local kids enjoying a dip and a fresh fruit snack. The kids complete a set number of laps and are rewarded with an afternoon tea of fresh fruits and healthy treats.

The program relaunched over the recent school holidays and now continue after school every day. The popularity of the afterschool Swim for Fruit program was bolstered by an end of holiday Pool Party Disco, presented by the local Youth Services.

Aboriginal Australians have higher disease and death rates and are 3.6 times more likely to drown than non-Aboriginal Australians. Swim for Fruit aims to address this by providing swimming and water safety education and encouraging healthy eating.

The program has enabled Royal Life Saving Society to expand pool-based programs that encourage physical activity and promote healthy lifestyle habits to the communities. The expansion of the school Swim & Survive program aims to create direct links to increase participation in aquatic based sports such as water polo, competitive swimming, aqua aerobics and pool lifesaving.

Halls Creek Pool Manager, Robert Kirkpatrick, remarked ‘The children totally embrace the opportunity to demonstrate their aquatic prowess. I find myself in awe as I see how much the kids appreciate the simple token of an apple’.

Keep it up Kids!

For more information on the Swim for Fruit program click the link below.