Surfing Victoria Indigenous Program a finalist for Vic Health Award

SURFING Victoria’s award-winning Indigenous program is in the running to take out for the Victorian Health Promotion Awards.

Each year, the Victorian Health Promotion Awards recognise health organisations and programs working hard to create healthier and happier communities across Victoria.

The Victorian Indigenous Surfing Program is a key initiative of Surfing Victoria’s Indigenous Strategic Pillar and has been recognised this year for connecting Indigenous Victorians with the ocean while teaching participants new skills, water safety knowledge and healthy habits.

Approaching its 25th anniversary in 2023, the program provides strong Aboriginal community leadership and engagement in culturally safe and engaging environments that are inclusive, respectful and flexible.

After claiming the Woolworths Indigenous Surfing Community Celebration Award at the Australian Surfing Awards this year, program co-ordinator and Surfing Victoria Indigenous Aquatics Officer, Jordie Campbell said the team was privileged to be cited for another award.

“It’s always great to be nominated for an award and to receive this sort of acknowledgement as we look to make a better future for Indigenous communities,” Campbell said.

“It might be the first time we have been a Vic Health Award finalist for quite a while so it’s pretty special.”

Campbell said the program is currently one of the longest running Indigenous engagements in the country and is the only one of its kind in the surfing space at the present time.

“I’ve been running the Victorian Indigenous Surfing Program for the last eight years but have been involved for over fifteen years,” Campbell said.

“I’ve seen it grow astronomically, the Koori Surfing Titles gathering was always a huge event that saw everyone come together to surf and celebrate culture, but it’s just expanded so much from there.

“In my fifteen years of involvement I’ve seen the programs not only grow on the coast but gather momentum in inland regions where there is a high number of Indigenous people living like Shepparton, Ballarat and Horsham.

“To be able to engage with those communities and deliver those water safety messages and healthy lifestyle messages is incredibly valuable.”

Campbell said COVID offered an opportunity to review and improve the program.

“In the past it’s always been go-go-go, so it gave us a chance to look at some things to improve on and focus on how

we engage better and ensure the delivery in each area is as beneficial as possible,” he said.

“We want to create more opportunities for these communities to participate in aquatic activities.”

More than 650 Indigenous participants have taken part in the program over the past two years and numbers continue to grow across the state.

The Victorian Health Promotion Award winners will be crowned across nine categories on February 13.

To find out more about the Surfing Victoria Indigenous program, go to surfingvic.com/indigenous/