A newly-released Deakin University study – the first in Australia to accurately assess the swimming ability of primary school students – found parents who relied solely on school swim programs dangerously overestimated their children’s swimming and water safety skills.
The study has raised a red flag for the twin towns as the Murray has been Australia’s most dangerous waterway for drownings. There have been 20 Victorians killed in the river in the past decade.
Echuca War Memorial Aquatic Centre is doing everything it can to make sure the whole family is ready to hit the water.
“Here at EWMAC we have our swim program and school program, which provide kids with swim training and water safety,” learn to swim team leader Shirley Milgate said.
“Using Life Saving Victoria’s swim and survival program each lesson, we simulate open water safety activities.
“Starting in January we also have our new pilot program, bush nippers, in conjunction with LSV,” she said.
Bush Nippers aims to build on the swimming and water safety knowledge and skills of children aged five to 14 years in open water environments.
LSV is urging people visiting the Murray to think about the hidden dangers of inland waterways in the leadup to the summer season.
“Our key safety messages for river users include always supervise children around water, wear a lifejacket when boating, drink alcohol responsibly around water and water activities, always swim with a friend as well as check safety signs and river edges for instability,” a Life Saving Victoria spokeswoman said.
“It’s also important to remember conditions in rivers can change quickly and flooding isn’t uncommon, so always check the Bureau of Meteorology app or bom.gov.au for up-to-date conditions and warnings.”
Deakin’s study of 400 Victorian primary school students highlighted parental unawareness of the true swimming ability of their children.
“We found a lot of parents think school swim programs are enough,” Deakin University lecturer Kate Moncrieff said.
“The problem is many schools in Victoria opt for an intensive one- or two-week swimming block.
“While there is an improvement in swimming and water safety skills, children in the early stages of swimming show significant regression within nine months.”
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