Purnululu high school students helping their younger school mates learn the dangers
River not ready for Purnululu students
Royal Life Saving WA’s ‘River Ready’ program is a short, practical course on river safety that is typically delivered at a river location where possible.
The children of Purnululu Community School, in the remote Kimberley community of Frog Hollow, recently received a real life lesson in detecting whether a river is safe to swim in.
Pool Manager for the Warmun community pool, Steve Waterman, regularly delivers River Ready courses for children in remote areas of the Kimberley surrounding Warmun.
Steve and his wife Aisyah visited Frog Hollow to deliver the river safety talk for the Purnululu students, which turned into more talk than practical lesson when they found the creek unsafe to swim.
“We talked about the reasons why we wouldn't swim in the creek and had an escort of three high school students who showed us why we wouldn’t go swimming,” says Steve.
The group discussed the quality of the water, which was dirty and muggy, making it difficult to see what was in the water. Murky water can hide hazards such as broken branches and other sharp or dangerous objects as well as fast-moving currents.
Also adding to the unsafe conditions were the slippery edges, and the possibility of crocodiles lurking in the water.
“We split into two groups – early learning with four students and high school with ten – and discussed the ‘Aqua Code’,” said Steve.
“The code includes: ‘Go together’ – always go with someone, family or big friends; ‘Float and wave’ – when you’re tired, float on your back and wave for help; and 'Reach to rescue' – grab a stick and reach out to help.”
The day served as an important lesson for the children in when to avoid going near the water at all – particularly relevant for the Kimberley community after unprecedented flooding hit the region early this year.
The River Ready course is part of Royal Life Saving’s Respect the River program, an inland waterways project supported by the Royal Life Saving Society – Australia and the Australian Government. Learn more at the link below.
