The Royal Life Saving Society NSW is looking to “drown proof” children and youth, particularly in Western NSW
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It will use $250,000 from the NSW Government’s Water Safety Fund Community Grants program to run the Swim and Survive course at about 60 pools in regional and remote NSW.
Western regional manager for the society, Alison Middleton, said the money would deliver more instructors and more formal swimming lessons for children and youth aged six to 14 years next summer.
Ms Middleton said the funding “definitely will save lives”.
“Although they don’t have a high drowning rate in that actual age group, it’s when they become... older and go with their friends down to the river when they need to know how to swim to save themselves,” she said.
“We’re looking to drown proof, I guess, our children as they become older.”
The regional manager said there were many children in Western NSW who did not have access to formal swimming lessons.
“They probably have some natural water safety ability but in terms of actually having structured swimming lessons and water safety knowledge, they may not have access to that where they live,” she said.
Ms Middleton said the funding would allow the society to seek out people willing to undertake AUSTSWIM training and become instructors in communities in need of them.
She said at larger and busier pools, such as the Dubbo Aquatic Leisure Centre, the course would be run by existing instructors and might involve schools.
The grant will also cover resources for pools including noodles, kickboards and life jackets.
Ms Middleton visited Dubbo for the announcement of the grant by state Member for Dubbo and NSW Minister for Emergency Services Troy Grant.
“I’m so proud of the support we’ve been able to provide Royal Life Saving so they can work with locally- trained swimming instructors to deliver life-saving lessons for kids,” he said.
“It’s not just about swimming lessons either. The children will also learn basic rescue and survival skills so it’s giving them a wonderful well-rounded experience to keep them safe.”
The society reports of 249 people having drowned in Australian waterways in the last financial year, 42 per cent of them during summer.
Swim and Survive will focus on pools in Western NSW, with a number of northern and southern NSW communities also benefiting from the program. Visit www.royallifesaving.com.au for more information.
The Water Safety Fund Community Grants program gives priority to initiatives that target high-risk groups and locations, identified in research undertaken by the Royal Life Saving Society Australia.
