BHP extends partnership with RLSWA to provide at risk swimming lessons in Pilbara

Funding for a program that teaches at-risk children across the State and in the Pilbara has been extended. Royal Life Saving Western Australia recently announced it had extended its partnership with BHP to reduce drowning statistics and build resilient communities across Western Australia. BHP will provide a further $1.5 million over two years to fund a range of swimming and water safety education and youth employment programs across the regions including the Pilbara. This partnership will allow RSLWA to deliver targeted swimming, water safety and drowning prevention education throughout Port Hedland, Newman, Leinster, Kalgoorlie and Kambalda, as well as the remote Aboriginal communities of Jigalong and Yandeyarra. Aboriginal children drown at almost double the rate of non-Aboriginal children in WA. Royal Life Saving WA chief executive said Peter Leaversuch these programs were crucial to prevent drowning in at-risk areas. “Swimming is an intrinsic part of the Australian way of life, which means that Swim and Survive lessons are not only essential — they are lifesaving,” he said. “Building swimming and water safety skills from young children right through to adults is vital work and the single most important investment we can make as a community to prevent drowning.” BHP head of corporate affairs WA Meath Hammond said the new partnership agreement was testament to the success of the long term association shared by BHP and Royal Life Saving Society WA. “We’ve been working together for nearly 20 years to deliver vital programs to regional and remote communities, training lifesavers and creating safer places,” he said. “Together we have made a real difference to people across the State.”