SUNDAY is all about highlighting the risks associated with backyard pools and the high number of drownings still occurring around our state.
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Royal Life Saving NSW has described the latest statistics as “disturbing”, with 83 children dying in NSW swimming pools in the past 13 years.
And that’s just in our state.
There’s also dozens of other children who have survived, but have suffered permanent brain damage.
That’s a lot of families each year left to pick up the pieces of their lives.
Australia is a country with a culture built around the water. Our geographical location and weather virtually demands it.
Our nation is surrounded by ocean, so has thousands of kilometres of arguably the best beaches in the world.
Inland, our lakes, dams, rivers and creeks provide endless opportunities
for swimming, fishing, boating and other water sports, while the great Aussie backyard is the perfect spot for a pool to beat our summer heat.
But with this enviable lifestyle also comes the obvious dangers.
Despite all this water, too many of our children are still unable to swim, a skill that in this country should be mandatory.
We’re not all going to be potential Olympians, and some of us aren’t even going to like the water that much, but everyone should at least have the ability to try and save themselves in the water.
Children, in particular, should be introduced to swimming lessons as early as possible, with the aim of teaching them to at least get to the side of a pool should they fall in.
Education is becoming an increasing focus, and a team of lifesavers has been in the region this week speaking to students about safety tips at the beach.
Governments, too, have cracked down on safety measures around pools in an effort to stop children from entering unsupervised.
But we must do more.
Perhaps it’s time to consider incentive schemes for parents to take their children to swimming lessons, similar to the cash payments given for completing an immunisation schedule.
Schools should be provided with more funding to assist with the provision of regular lessons for students at every age.
The statistics tell the sad story and we will have failed badly if they’re still telling the same tragic tale in another 13 years.