Meelup Beachfest 2021

As the school year came to an end for WA’s Year 12 students late last month, Royal Life Saving WA’s Meelup BeachFest saw 5,500 Leavers flock to the picturesque beach near Dunsborough to enjoy a day of relaxing in the sun with their friends.

Leavers week gives finishing Year 12 students the opportunity to celebrate the end of their schooling in a fun and safe environment. Over 10,000 young people from around the state travelled to the Southwest to attend the weeklong party.

Every year a group of staff and volunteers from Royal Life Saving WA travel down to Dunsborough to promote safety messaging around alcohol and water activities, hand out resources to Leavers and provide support to young people where needed. Royal Life Saving’s Be A Mermate campaign, which encourages young people to help their mates out if around water and drinking, is the focus of the messaging promoted to the Leavers during the week.

The highlight of the week happened on Wednesday the 24th of November, when 5,500 Leavers flocked to Meelup Beach via specially arranged shuttle busses to enjoy a day on the beach with their mates. Lawn games, beach games, pool inflatables and beach cabanas were just some of the things on offer for attendees on the day, while food trucks kept the Leavers fed and designated water stations were set up to hydrate attendees.

Royal Life Saving WA’s Georgia Eaton, who coordinates the Youth Water Safety Program, says all the Leavers had a great time! “The event provides a much needed chill day after the Leavers have spent two nights at the entertainment zone.”

The event also enables support services such as WAAC, Hope Community Services, Cancer Council, Red Frogs, Green Team and Lamp Inc. to check in with the Leavers, providing harm minimization messaging and support where needed. You can find out more about Royal Life Saving WA’s involvement in Leavers week at the link below.