Drowning deaths decrease but warning remains as the summer season approaches

BALLARAT mum of three, Aurielle Walters, knows how quickly things can go wrong around water.

A visit to Ballarat Aquatic & Lifestyle Centre (BALC) last October turned into every parent’s worst nightmare when her then 3-year-old daughter, Eleanor, had to be pulled from the water by lifeguards.

“We’d only been to the pool once before. We walked out of the change rooms and I said to her ‘hold on to the pram, do not let go of the pram’. She saw the pool and took off. She went straight in and sunk.”

A lifeguard and swim teacher were only meters away, and quickly jumped into the water to pull her to safety.

“There was no reaction, no noise, no splashing, nothing. That’s what scared me the most.”

As the weather starts to warm up, Ms Walters is urging all parents to consider swimming lessons for their children.

“Get your children in [to swimming lessons]. Just do it. It’s absolutely vital.”

According to data recently released by Royal Life Saving Australia, there were 18 drowning deaths in children aged 0-4 years in 2017/18. Accidental falls into water remain the leading activity prior to drowning among children under five, accounting for 78% of all drowning deaths.

Luckily for Eleanor, the near-miss didn’t put her off the water, and she’s been taking swimming lessons ever since.

Leanne White, Aquatic Education Team Leader at BALC, reiterates how important it is for children to familiarise themselves with water at an early age.

“Encouragingly there was a 30 per cent reduction in the total number of children aged 0-4 who drowned in 2017/18 compared to the previous year, however drowning continues to be one of the leading causes of accidental death is this age group.

This tells us that we still have plenty of work to do to spread the water safety message. Swimming and water safety lessons can provide under-fives with the lifesaving skills they need to be safer in and around water.”