Three Collie children with Royal Life Saving WA's Jonnine Rowe and Minister for Sport and Recreation Mick Murray
Collie kids splash into lifesaving
The latest National Drowning Report highlighted the fact that 57% of WA's drowning deaths happened outside the metro area in 2019-20, with people 3.8 times more likely to drown in regional and remote areas of WA. The provision of swimming and water safety programming in these areas is therefore crucial as we work to turn these figures around.
As part of Royal Life Saving WA’s work to reduce these figures we’ve been taking our lifesaving skills sessions to regional areas, while also working to engage regional pools as swimming and lifesaving clubs. Last weekend the Collie Aquatic Splash was held at the Collie Mineworkers pool, and opportunity for young community members and their parents to learn new skills in the sport of lifesaving and synchronised swimming.
The Royal Life Saving sport team was joined by Synchro WA to provide an afternoon of fun and learning for Collie kids, and both sports were thoroughly enjoyed by the locals! The Collie Swimming club was also there to see these two sports in action. Royal Life Saving WA is very pleased that the club has become our newest swimming & lifesaving club for the year, creating opportunities for Collie children and youth to learn new lifesaving skills!
These skills are especially important in a town like Collie which has many dams and rivers connecting in the region - locations that are extremely popular for water activities and recreation. The skills learnt through Royal Life Saving’s swimming and lifesaving clubs can be used not only in the pool but in all water locations such as rivers, lakes and dams.
It was fantastic to receive a visit during Saturday’s event from Minister for Sport and Recreation Mick Murray, who is the local member for the region and a long time Collie resident. Mr Murray was pleased to see the swim club come on board with Royal Life Saving as this provides more aquatic activities for local Collie children and youth to engage in.
We look forward to taking our lifesaving programs to other regional communities throughout 2021, and welcome swim clubs and pools right across the state to come join our swimming and lifesaving club program. You can find out more at the link below.
