A free water safety day for multicultural communities will be held at Wollongong City Beach. Photo: Keeli Royle.
One quarter of Australia’s drowning victims last year were born overseas.
Royal Life Saving’s National Drowning Report 2024 found that over the past 10 years, 34 per cent of people who drowned were born overseas, often recently arrived refugees, migrants or international students, mainly from India, China and Nepal.
In a bid to improve those statistics this summer, a free multicultural water safety day will be held at Wollongong City Beach on Friday (11 October).
The event, a collaboration between the NSW Office of Sport, Illawarra Multicultural Services, Multicultural Communities Council Illawarra, Surf Life Saving NSW, Royal Life Saving, University of Wollongong and other local stakeholders, is designed to educate multicultural communities on vital water safety skills and knowledge, particularly the beach, inland water and rock fishing safety.
It aims to empower multicultural communities with the skills and confidence to safely enjoy beaches and other waterways.
As well as interactive educational sessions including a live rip dye and resuscitation demonstrations, there will be hands-on practical activities and the opportunity to engage with facilitators and local organisations.
In the 12 months to 30 June, 323 people drowned in Australia, up from 278 the previous year.
Royal Life Saving Australia CEO Justin Scarr said the figures highlighted the need to strengthen swimming and water safety skills of children and adults, especially for those living in regional communities and migrant communities.
“The report is a reminder that many Australians now lack the skills to swim, float or stay safe in the water,” he said.
“It’s a reminder that drowning prevention starts at home, in schools and at local pools. We must ensure no child or adult misses out on learning to swim, and that all Australians have access to a safe place to swim, starting with a great local swimming pool.
“Many migrant communities themselves are leading the way, raising awareness and promoting programs.
Illawarra Multicultural Services projects coordinator Amro Zoabe said it was important to have vital safety information available in different languages.
“By having our multilingual community workers provide language support for this event, we ensure everyone has equitable access,” he said.
“We are lucky to be living on Dharawal land on waters. This event helps make sure our multicultural communities access these waters safely.”
In May this year, Wollongong City Council won a national award for helping to provide culturally specific water safety initiatives for residents new to the city.
The 2012 drowning of a young Congolese boy off Corrimal Beach prompted council and community to investigate how to improve water safety education for multicultural residents.
The multicultural water safety day will be held at Wollongong City Beach from 10 am – 1 pm on Friday, 11 October. For more information, contact Elyse on 0408 379 357.
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