Week of water safety for Cassia Primary students

The week of November 23rd to 27th was a fun but educational one for students at Cassia Primary School in South Hedland.

Royal Life Saving WA’s Pilbara Development Officer, Lauren Thompson, visited the school together with Talent Pool Youth Mentors Jesse Thompson and Lacey Beale to deliver a series of Water Safety Talks to students, speaking to 26 individual classes throughout the week!

The students enjoyed interactive presentations that explained the importance of water safety and were tailored to the various age groups at the school. The Kindy group loved hearing ‘The Adventures of Dippy Duck’ and were thrilled to have Dippy himself visit their classroom!

The sessions covered how to identify dangers and hazards and how to engage in aquatic activities with confidence. Students were encouraged to acknowledge their own skills, abilities, and limitations, with special regard to the aquatic settings that the Pilbara community has access to, which differ from many other regions.

Year 4 student Harry, said, “this is so cool, I’m really into this!”, as he learnt about rip currents and how to identify them. Staff at the school said the water safety presentations were “perfect timing”, as the students had recently completed their in-term swimming lessons at South Hedland Aquatic Centre.

Youth Mentor Jesse Thompson also shared his own story with the students about the importance of wearing a lifejacket – wearing one saved his life when he was knocked unconscious after two ski tubes collided while water skiing in murky water.

The Water Safety Talks are part of Royal Life Saving WA’s water safety education initiative for schools and are designed to teach kids how to stay safe in, on or around the water in a variety of aquatic environments. The program is supported in South Hedland by our principal community partner BHP. Learn more about this valuable program at the link below.