Royal Life Saving Society - Australia News

Royal Life Saving ACT - Office Flooding - Temporary Closure until the end of this week

Royal Life Saving ACT would like to apologise for the inconvenience of our recent closure, however, due to the recent flooding of our office and training facility in Deakin, we will remain closed for the rest of this week.

NT Newsletter Kicking Back Released - A Great Way to Stay in Touch with Royal Life Saving NT.

Royal Life Saving Society - NT produces the monthly newsletter Kicking Back.

SWIM KIDS Operation 10,000: Send-a-Swim and Save-a-Life

In Australia, drowning remains one of the leading causes of preventable death in children. SWIM KIDS Operation 10,000 wants to help change this statistic. A joint fundraising initiative of UNCLE TOBYS® and Royal Life Saving, the campaign aims to help raise funds to provide free swimming and water safety courses for 10,000 children who would otherwise miss out.

Watching her mum give first aid assistance was all the inspiration Stephanie needed

“One day I watched my mum perform first aid on someone who’d had a stroke,” said Stephanie, a student from Sydney. “I realised that if I was ever faced with the same situation, I’d want to know what to do.”

The incident greatly illustrates Royal Life Saving’s firm belief that ‘Everyone can be a lifesaver’. At any time, at any place, any one of us can find ourselves in an emergency situation. It happened to Stephanie’s mum but thankfully, because of her training, she was able to quickly and confidently give first aid assistance. And hers is just one of many stories we hear about every year.

Australian Pool LIfesaving Championships 2013 - 18 to 20 January 2013

Sydney hosts the prestigious Australian Pool Lifesaving Championships - which get under way this Friday 18th January. Over 160 champion lifesavers from all around the nation are set to compete.

Lifesavers have never been more important as figures show 21 people drowned over the recent Christmas and New Year period.

The lastest National Drowning Report revealed between 1st July 2011 and 30th June 2012, 284 people drowned. It was a reduction of just 1% on the 5 year average.

Gray Parkes, National Sport Advisor said, "These Championships highlight how important lifesavers are. The very best lifesavers come together to compete. A number of the events are based on real life rescue scenarios. Sometimes teams may have just minutes to solve a simulated emergency. Many of the situations lifesavers encounter are part of these Championships."

When there was a frantic knock at Dale and Chloe Holmes’ door at 2am one morning, they knew something was wrong.

Standing before them was the grandchild of their neighbour who told them that ‘Pop’ was unconscious and not breathing.

When they arrived next door they found the situation “terrifying”. Their neighbour was lying on a bed, connected to a ventilator used for asthma treatment. He was very blue.

The couple began CPR and after several minutes an ambulance arrived. Dale, who is a police detective, assisted the paramedics, while Chloe went to care for the grandchildren who were very distressed.

The situation has reminded Dale and Chloe of the importance of knowing CPR.

Pool Life Saving just adds a whole new dimension to swimming

“Pool Life Saving just adds a whole new dimension to swimming. There’s a real technical component to the sport which makes it very interesting,” says Masters competitor Jenny Whiteley.

Jenny began pool swimming when she was eight-years-old and swam as an amateur until she was 16. “I then took a break for ten years but got into Masters swimming when I was 26,” she said, and hasn’t looked back. Jenny holds a string of State, National and World records in 50, 100 and 200m distances in “everything but backstroke,” Jenny laughs. “It’s that one stroke that just doesn’t work for me.”

New Year’s Resolution - Make 2013 your lucky year - Enrol in a CPR or First Aid Course Today!

Thirteen may be an unlucky number but you can make 2013 a lucky year with Royal Life Saving.

Every year, people from all walks of life make New Year’s resolutions. They’ll stop smoking, lose weight, get fit, drink less; they’ll write that novel, change jobs, climb the highest mountains and dive the depths of the seas. But while resolutions are always made with the best of intentions, unfortunately, they’re not always easy to stick to.

But there is something that is quick, easy and will give you skills for life: a Royal Life Saving CPR or First Aid course.

Putting her skills to the test

Heading out for a quick swim at the beach recently, gave champion pool lifesaver Felysia Konakoff the chance to put her lifesaving skills to the test.

“I was swimming with a friend and we saw these two people who looked like they were really struggling. I swam over to see if they were OK and they just jumped on me,” Felysia said.

While Felysia had been in waist-deep water, the two swimmers were in a trough, well out of their depth and tiring fast. Both were very poor swimmers. Felysia and her friend managed to calm them down and keep them afloat while signalling for the Surf Lifesavers. However, due to a large carnival taking place, it took several minutes before they were spotted. When they were, Felysia was able to assist the other lifesavers in getting the swimmers to shore.

The rescue Felysia performed is the perfect example of what underpins Pool Lifesaving Sport. “The whole idea of Pool Lifesaving is teaching skills that save lives, skills that allow you to become a community lifesaver,” Felysia said.

Terrific team gives gift of swimming this Christmas

Every year, the Pymble Red Squad swimmers exchange small gifts with each other to celebrate Christmas and the year that was. But this Christmas, they have decided to do something different: they’re going to give swimming and water safety lessons—not to each other, but to those who would normally miss out.

“It all came from a discussion between the team members,” said Penny Walker, mother of one of the swimmers. “They were talking about how lucky they were to have had swimming lessons and to be enjoying swimming so much. They wanted to be able to give that to people who wouldn’t normally get the chance,” she said.

Royal Life Saving Launches New Look Website to keep you safe in, on, or around the water.

The new site has been completely redesigned to offer simplicity and ease of use to our four key customer groups—those seeking first aid or lifesaving training, families, schools, and the aquatic industry—allowing quick and easy navigation and immediate access to relevant information.

Incredible heroes from across NSW have been presented with commendation awards

Incredible heroes from across New South Wales have been presented with commendation awards today as part of the 2012 Royal Life Saving Commendation Awards Ceremony (Wednesday December 5th 2012).

Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir, AC CVO, Governor of New South Wales presented the Awards with 52 people recognised.

David Macallister – CEO of Royal Life Saving New South Wales – said, “People being recognised have used skills in water safety to rescue or resuscitate someone in trouble. All the winners are extraordinary Australians. It’s quite remarkable. These are people who have been in deeply stressful situations who often have been at risk themselves.”

Royal Life Saving National Drowning Report 2012 reveals 284 people drowned in Australian waterways between July 1 2011 and June 30 2012.

The latest drowning figures are "incredibly disappointing" and make "bleak reading" says the CEO of Royal Life Saving Rob Bradley.

No Child Should Miss out on Learning to Swim and Survive - Sign our Online Petition Today

Royal Life Saving believes that the rapid increase in drowning in young adults aged 15-24 year olds is undeniably linked to a fall in the swimming and water safety skills of children in Australia over the past 10 years.

Royal Life Saving and PoolWerx launch Home Pool Safety campaign for 2012 - Download the new Home Pool Safety App

Royal Life Saving has revealed as part of its Keep Watch 2012 campaign that 330 Australian children under the age of 5 have drowned in Australia in the past 10 years. Almost half drowned in a home swimming pool.

Royal Life Saving says it is critical all home pool owners across Australia make sure their home pool environment is safe for children throughout the hotter months and the year ahead.

To make things easier for pool owners, a unique free Home Pool Safety App is being launched as part of the new Keep Watch campaign. It is specifically designed to try to take the hassle out of ensuring your pool is as safe as possible.

Snorkelling-related deaths in Australia

Snorkelling is a popular aquatic activity in Australia. As an indication, it is estimated that there were more than 2.2 million snorkelling dives conducted on the Great Barrier Reef alone in 2007. It is also considered very safe, especially when you compare the number of snorkelling dives with the number of reports of harm caused by snorkelling. However, a 1999 report on a 10 year survey on snorkelling-related deaths in Australia showed that while there was an overall decrease in overall drowning-related deaths during that time, the number of snorkelling-related deaths increased.

Be sure to Checkout the Australian Lifeguard Network

The Australian Lifeguard Network is an online community for Pool Lifeguards and aquatic professionals in Australia. This initiative is aimed at bringing the Australian aquatic industry together to share ideas and strengthen and develop lifeguarding and the aquatics sector.

Drowning in Numbers - New TASC / UNICEF report released

A report released by Royal Life Saving partners The Alliance for Safe Children and UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre reinforces the notion that child drowning is a hidden epidemic across many countries in Asia.

The Global Drowning Fund Launches

The Global Drowning Fund is an initiative of Royal Life Saving Society - Australia. Through the Global Drowning Fund, we are striving to prevent these deaths and build capacity through advocacy, research and partnerships.

Australian Water Safety Strategy 2012 - 15 - Launched

The Australian Water Safety Council officially launched the Australian Water Safety Strategy 2012-15 which aims to reduce drowning deaths across Australia by 50% by 2020 with the ultimate aim of achieving a nation free from drowning.

Update on AUSTSWIM and Royal Life Saving survey of Teachers of Swimming and Water Safety

AUSTSWIM and Royal Life Saving Society - Australia have conducted a survey where Teachers of Swimming and Water Safety were able to comment on the development of swimming and water safety skills of children in their classes and the content of swimming and water safety programs. Other topics of interest were professional development opportunities in the swim industry and future career plans of teachers

10,000 children and counting – Canberra Labor Club becomes Diamond Partner in major national Swim and Survive campaign

Over the past four years the Canberra Labor Club has made a significant contribution to the Canberra community by working with Royal Life Saving ACT to provide discounted and free swimming lessons to over 10,000 disadvantaged children. The size of the contribution has elevated the Canberra Labor Club to Diamond Partner status in Royal Life Saving's national campaign with over 3,500 Canberra children participating in the program in 2011.

Dickson Aquatic Centre takes out Inaugural ACT Canberra Milk Lifeguard Challenge

The weather forecasts were grim and the clouds grew darker but it was going to take more than bad weather to deter a spirited group of athletic Lifeguards from competing at the first ever ACT Canberra Milk Lifeguard Challenge on February 9th! Depsite the rain, the lifeguards were on the blocks waiting for the first whistle and their enthusiasm and commitment shone through as they powered through the water.

Golfers Raising Money for Community Lifesaver Appeal

Royal Life Saving NSW would like to thank everyone who attended the 2012 Community Lifesaver Golf Day!

What an amazing day we had! The sun was shining like it was summer and the golfers were at their finest. The day started with 28 teams hitting off and enjoying some friendly competition on a beautiful course, Stonecutters Ridge.

New Bus Helps Local Kids Swim and Survive

Seven Hills-Toongabbie RSL proudly presented the Aquatic Safety Training Academy in Seven Hills with keys to a shiny new bus.

With the addition of the new bus from the Peninsula Motor Group, Royal Life Saving's Academy is now able to provide free transportation to schools and other groups in the local area to learn to swim classes at the facility.

Community Lifesaver Breakfast Revives NSW Aquatic Industry

Royal Life Saving NSW recently hosted the 2012 Community Lifesaver Breakfast on Friday, 15th of June.

The 2012 Community Lifesaver Breakfast introduced exciting new initiatives and provided the Aquatic Industry with resources and activities in which to engage local communities.

The NSW Aquatic Industry has experienced reduced attendance levels due primarily to the financial crisis. Whilst families have been spending on retail products it appears that recreational pursuits such as swimming have taken a back seat.

300,000 Community Lifesavers in NSW

Project Community Lifesaver seeks to educate New South Wales residents in water safety, lifesaving and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Help us exceed our target of 300,000 community lifesavers in 2012!

Campaign for Compulsory CPR in Schools

IF federal Schools Minister Peter Garrett ever needed a simple demonstration of why teaching CPR to kids was vital, yesterday was it.

With the help of The Daily Telegraph and Royal Life Saving NSW, students at Hills Sport High at Seven Hills were taken through a CPR training session - with immediate results.

2012 National AUSTSWIM Teacher of Aquatics for People with a Disability - Lindy Crack

Lindy teaches two adult groups of people with disabilities each week and also teaches children with cerebral palsy.

Her communication skills with her clients are excellent, her lesson plans are well developed and her ability to communicate with all involved is a credit to her. Lindy has always maintained a very positive attitude towards her teaching and with this has helped Launceston Swim School create such a successful business working environment.

Congratulations Lindy!!!

2012 National AUSTSWIM Recognised Swim Centre Award - Launceston Aquatic

Launceston Aquatic employs 16 AUSTSWIM Licensed teachers teaching in all areas from infant and pre-school aquatics through to adults and disabilities. Over 200 hours of classes are on offer every week offering a high standard of swimming and water safety experiences. Launceston Aquatic offer the community a variety of programs based around water safety and education.

Amanda Mayes accepted the award on behalf of Launceston Aquatic.

Well done to Amanda and her team!!!

2012 National AUSTSWIM Presenter Award - Ceri Weeks

Ceri has been actively involved with AUSTSWIM in Tasmania for over 20 years. She is highly qualified and is a Teacher and Presenter in all AUSTSWIM disciplines. Ceri has been a valuable member of the AUSTSWIM familyreviewing manuals, modules, exams and other AUSTSWIM documents. Since 1990 she has supervised and assessed thousands of candidates and is currently the main AUSTSWIM Presenter for Tasmania.

Well done Ceri!!!

Making Aquatics a Terrific Experience (MATE) Program

Royal Life Saving will be offering the AUSTSWIM program MATE. Making Aquatics a Terrific Experience (MATE) is an innovative and interactive community seminar aimed at optimising health and wellness opportunities for those with a disability.

The program gives Carers the skills and knowledge to take their MATE to the pool for recreation activities. It is not a program about swimming strokes it is a guide to encouraging and facilitating physical activity in an aquatic environment for people who may not always have the opportunity to participate in aquatic activities.

Alarming new report from Royal Life Saving in the Northern Territory

An alarming new report from Royal Life Saving in the Northern Territory calls for change as the new 9 year drowning report reveals that per capita the Northern Territory now records more drowning deaths than any other state or territory in Australia.

Executive Director of Royal Life Saving Society NT Branch Floss Roberts says she's deeply concerned about the report. Alcohol was present in 51% of the drowning deaths of people aged 15 and over in the Northern Territory.

The report reveals the Northern Territory clearly lags behind the rest of Australia when it comes to reducing the incidents of drowning. The report covers the period 1 July 2002 - 30 June 2011.

2013 ACT ‘Canberra Milk’ Lifeguard Challenge

On Thursday 7th February 2013 Canberra’s finest lifeguards gathered together to compete in the Nation’s Capital’s only Team Lifesaving event – the ACT Canberra Milk Lifeguard. Three of the ACT’s largest aquatic facilities were represented by 6 teams this year including the Australian Institute of Sport; Canberra International Sports and Aquatic Centre and Dickson Aquatic Centre.

The team from the Australian Institute of Sport took out top honours claiming the coveted ACT Lifeguard Cup for the first time ahead of last year’s winners Dickson Aquatic Centre.

Astonishing heroes of water safety recognised at the prestigious ACT Water Safety Awards

Astonishing heroes of water safety were recognised at the prestigious ACT Water Safety Awards (which incorporate Safe Waters ACT, Austswim and Royal Life Saving awards) on Tuesday 26 February. Minister Andrew Barr MLA presented the ACT Water Safety Awards. Amongst this year’s winners were ACT rescue heroes Neil Maher who dived into fast moving water when he saw a young girl drowning who was holding on for dear life to a friend submerged in water. Paul Reynolds who also helped save the girls will be recognised as well as Emily de Geir who held onto her friend.

Why we need to Keep Watch

Considering that drowning is a leading cause of death in children 0–4 years of age, the importance of keeping children safe cannot be overemphasised.

The Importance of CPR

Most people know what CPR is, but are you ready to perform CPR in an emergency?

Joseph's Story

Thanks to Royal Life Saving and UNCLE TOBYS, Joseph now has a lifetime of
safe swimming and fun ahead of him.

Aussie Swimming Greats 'Send a Swim and Save a Life' at Operation 10,000

Australian Swimming greats 'Send a Swim & Save a Life'

Diving in to Pool Lifesaving Sport

Australia is a country blessed with aquatic activities and related sports to match. But one sport whose tide is on the rise is Pool Lifesaving. It’s also a sport many don’t realise exists.

Royal Life Saving urges all Australians: Don’t let your Easter end in tragedy

Royal Life Saving urges all Australians to be extra vigilant when in, on or around water this Easter long weekend. There has already been a number of drowning deaths in recent days and with the increased leisure time and possible involvement of alcohol, this Easter long weekend could become a tragic one for more families.

Updated Guidelines to Make Pool Operation Safer

Royal Life Saving Society – Australia (RLSSA) has recently updated its Guidelines for Safe Pool Operation (GSPO) in an effort to further increase the safety standards within the aquatics industry.

NT Newsletter Kicking Back Released - A Great Way to Stay in Touch with Royal Life Saving NT.

It's been another busy month in the Northern Territory. Read all about the activities and happenings and learn more about what is happening this April in the newest Edition of Kicking Back.

Global Drowning Interventions Part 1

In the dramatic field of humanitarian aid, Royal Life Saving and Global Drowning Fund partners are showing how simple interventions can prevent child drowning by up to 90 per cent.

Why we need Safe Pool Operation guidelines

The recent updates to Royal Life Saving’s Guidelines for Safe Pool Operation (GSPO) provided a timely opportunity to revisit the need for the guidelines.

Carly swimming for those who can't

A university assignment gave Carly Riddoch the opportunity to reconnect with swimming and do something very worthwhile for children who would usually miss out on learning to swim.

AUSTSWIM & Royal Life Saving to Conduct a National Survey on Swimming and Water Safety

AUSTSWIM and Royal Life Saving are seeking the community’s views on children’s swimming and water safety skills in a new survey. The survey will enhance our understanding of Swimming and Water Safety programs for children aged 5–14 years old.

Initiative calls for backyard pool owners across NSW to help save lives and “Be Pool Safe”

Royal Life Saving NSW CEO David Macallister today called on all backyard pool owners in NSW to "Be Pool Safe" and sign up to the new NSW Swimming Pool Register, which goes live on Monday 29th April.

Mr Macallister said the campaign, which is a collaboration between Royal Life Saving NSW and the NSW Government, is all about taking steps to get information into the hands of pool owners and identifying where they are.

Rescue 2014 Australian Lifesaving Team Head Coach Announced – All roads lead to France 2014

RLSSA and SLSA have announced the selection of the Rescue 2014 Head Coach approximately 16 months before the start of the World Lifesaving Championships – Rescue 2014. The selection is based on the key objective of winning back the World Lifesaving Championships title and building world championship depth to maintain a number 1 world ranking beyond 2014.

Royal Life Saving celebrate the NT Water Safety Awareness Program

Legendary swimming coach Laurie Lawrence visiting Darwin to help Royal Life Saving celebrate the NT Water Safety Awareness Program

Over 8,000 children have completed the program in the NT since it was created.

Pool Lifesaving in 2013

2013 is shaping up to be a great year for Royal Life Saving Society - Australia and Pool Lifesaving Sport with plenty of National and International opportunites for RLSSA's Pool Lifesaving athletes!

Check out the upcoming Pool Lifesaving events in 2013!

Save the date - Commonwealth Lifesaving Championships 2013

Save the date for the RLSS Commonwealth Lifesaving Championships 2013 to be held in Canberra, ACT from 4 - 8 September 2013!

Save the date - Australian Pool Life Saving Championships 2013

Save the date for the Australian Pool Life Saving Championships 2013 to be held in Sydney, NSW from 18 – 20 January 2013!

Australian Lifesaving Teams success at Rescue 2012

The World Lifesaving Championships - Rescue 2012 National Teams competition has come to an end with the Open Australian Lifesaving team narrowly missing the top gong behind new World Lifesaving Champions New Zealand. The Under 20 Australian Lifesaving Team performed brilliantly on debut in the inaugural Youth World Championships claiming the World Champions title on 1066 points ahead of New Zealand and Spain.

RLSSA Masters success at Rescue 2012!

Royal Life Saving Society - Australia' Masters athletes from the Port Hacking Lifeguard Club, the Hills Lifesaving Club, Ithaca Caloundra City Lifesaving Club and Parks Lifesaving Club had outstanding success at the recent Masters World Pool Lifesaving Championships - Rescue 2012 in Adelaide.

RLSSA's Port Hacking Lifeguard Club leads the charge at Rescue 2012!

Royal Life Saving's Port Hacking Lifeguard Club in Sydney has finished the World Pool Lifesaving Championships - Rescue 2012 as the leading Pool Lifesaving club in Australia along with other brilliant performances from RLSSA clubs The Hills Lifesaving Club and Payneham Royal Lifesaving Club.