Water safety call ahead of summer

A LOCAL pool operator is reminding people to be safe around water this summer. 

To help with the effort, Belgravia Leisure, who run many of the City of Greater Bendigo’s aquatic centres, have enlisted Olympic gold medallist Brooke Hanson to help deliver the message. 

“As a mother with children who enjoy water-related activities, I understand the importance of swimming lessons in safeguarding our children,” she said. 

“I implore parents not to become complacent, especially as we anticipate a hot and dry summer, during which our kids are more likely to be in the water.” 

While Royal Life Saving’s recent National Drowning Report 2023 showed a 17 per cent decrease in the number of deaths by drowning since last year, they are up one per cent on the 10-year average. 

Inland waterways accounted for 37 per cent of drownings, with 27 per cent in a river or creek, and the others in lakes or dams.  

Ten per cent of fatalities occurred in swimming pools. 

Hanson said while the latest report showed an improvement in child drowning rates, it was important to remember that for every fatal incident there were three near drownings. 

As part of the Belgravia Leisure summer swimming safety campaign, she’s encouraging children to undertake lessons on water safety. 

“While we commend the progress we’ve made, we must remain steadfast in our commitment to achieving a goal of zero drownings among our children,” she said. 

“This upcoming summer, our mission is clear, we want the report to reach a count of zero child drownings and maintain that status. 

“Enrolling children in learn to swim lessons in the build-up to summer is a must.” 

Belgravia Leisure national aquatic safety manager Scott Vanderheyden said as more pools open up as it gets warmer, the organisation is preparing for a summer full of swimming. 

“As our seasonal pools across the country begin to open up for business, we are ramping up for an extremely busy summer of swimming,” he said. 

“Parents need to ensure that their kids are equipped with the skills they need to enjoy the water safely, and swimming lessons is undeniably one of the best ways to achieve this.”