Jamaine Ward building a future career in the aquatic industry

Aboriginal youth learning lifesaving skills

Jamaine Ward is a 19 year old student from Kununurra who loves swimming.  She taught herself to swim in the local river when she was 9 years old but never really had the opportunity to do formal swimming lessons.

Over the past couple of years she's worked very hard to change that.  She's completed her Bronze Medallion and Provide First Aid certificate at the Karratha Leisureplex, and Royal Life Saving Society in now helping her to extend those skills even further.

Jamaine and another Indigenous girl, Margi Birch, recently took part in the AUSTSWIM Teacher of Swimming and Water Training course held at Fremantle Leisure Centre.  She says a mentor encouraged her to do the course because she loves working with children.

She's now in the process of completing her practical training and assessment at Fremantle Leisure Centre and will then complete further training and work experience at Karratha Leisureplex.  Eventually her dream is to head back home to Kununurra and share her skills with local children, by teaching at the Kununurra Leisure Centre.

Jamaine also hopes her involvement in this training will help inspire others in her community to get involved.  "Not many Aboriginal kids do this sort of thing, we love swimming so maybe they would be interested too."

Royal Life Saving Society WA wishes Jamaine and Margi all the best as they strive to build a future career in the aquatic industry, and share their skills with others in their community.