79901

Over the past six months, children from three remote Western Australian schools have been diving into fun and lifesaving swimming lessons at the Balgo Remote Swimming Pool. 

Run by Royal Life Saving WA in partnership with the Western Australian Department of Education, these in-term lessons have provided a total of 100 students in remote communities the chance to develop essential swimming and water safety skills they might otherwise miss out on. 

Term 4 saw 15 students from Kururrungku Catholic School travelled nearly two hours each way to attend Term 4 lessons in Balgo. Term 1 brought a further 54 students from the local Luurnpa Catholic School, and 33 students from John Pujajangka-Piyirn Catholic School, ranging from pre-primary to high school. 

Despite an hour-long journey on a rough, flood-prone road, students from John Pujajangka-Piyirn looked forward to their lessons each day. The program wrapped up on the last day with a lively carnival, bringing all students together for swimming, a BBQ, and fresh fruit to celebrate their achievements.

Students from remote schools such as John Pujajangka-Piyirn and Kururrungku Catholic School that don’t have access to public pools are at a particularly high risk of missing out on essential water safety education.

Royal Life Saving WA’s Remote Pools across the Kimberley, Pilbara and Gascoyne are helping to improve swimming skills among Aboriginal children, who are disproportionately affected by drowning at a rate 2.5 times higher than other Australian children. Many remote communities are located near rivers prone to flooding, making water safety education even more vital.

Royal Life Saving WA advises “through our partnership with the Department of Education and the support of local schools, these children are gaining confidence in the water and learning vital skills that will benefit them for a lifetime.”

Click here for more information on Royal Life Saving WA’s Remote Pools project.

Images courtesy of Royal Life Saving WA.

Related Articles

9th April 2025 - Swim and Survive partners celebrate NT Government funded school swimming and water safety program

9th April 2025 - IXOM continues support for Royal Life Saving WA’s Remote Pools program

8th April 2025 - Report shows the positive impact of community pools in remote regions

8th April 2025 - World’s Largest Swimming Lesson returns in June

4th April 2025 - Swimming Australia introduces strategic plan through to 2032

20th December 2024 - Royal Life Saving WA and LIWA Aquatics celebrate 20 years of Watch Around Water program

13th August 2024 - Royal Life Saving WA farewells industry veteran Tony Head

22nd July 2024 - Royal Life Saving Society secures funding to review Northern Territory report on swimming pools in remote areas

8th July 2024 - Fluidra maintains support for Royal Life Saving WA’s Swim and Survive program

9th April 2024 - Royal Life Saving WA aims to engage youth in aquatic careers

5th April 2023 - Goldfields Spirit Swimming Carnival part of Royal Life Saving WA anti-drowning initiatives

24th October 2022 - Royal Life Saving WA partnership with BHP continues to support water safety education and employment programs

10th October 2022 - Fluidra backs Royal Life Saving WA’s Swim and Survive program

7th October 2021 - Lotterywest funding backs Royal Life Saving WA to deliver water safety education to at-risk communities

3rd February 2021 - Remote Aboriginal community to receive new sports facility

4th March 2020 - Balgo Remote Aboriginal Swimming Pool gets official opening

15th October 2019 - Technology from Marina Bay Sands used to build pre-fabricated pool in remote Aboriginal community

21st March 2018 - Royal Life Saving WA promotes family fun at remote Burringurrah pool

8th November 2016 - Swimming pools in remote Aboriginal communities provide health and social benefits

12th October 2015 - Drowning risk for children five times higher in regional and remote areas of Western Australia

---

Support our industry news service
We hope that you value the news that we publish so while you're here can we ask for your support?

As an independent publisher, we need reader support for our industry news gathering so ask that - if you don't already do so - you back us by subscribing to the printed Australasian Leisure Management magazine and/or our online news.

Click here to view our subscription options.