Drownings Increase !

The fact that this summer as many people died by drowning as lost their lives in road accidents is delivering a warning that social change is under way in this country.  This spate of drownings sends a clear message that our beach culture is under threat because the automatic assumption that all Aussie kids are great swimmers is becoming a fallacy.

It seems to be a new fact of life that many Aussie kids will undergo their entire schooling years - without learning to swim.  We now live in a much more restrictive society.  Parents are wary of allowing their children too much freedom because of perceived risks and the days of sport practised at school seem to have vanished.

These days most public schools schedule an entire half day under that heading of "Sport" but students are left to leave the school grounds and make their own arrangements.  In the majority of cases they regard this as "free time" and no form of sport takes place.   Organizing any type of communal sport brings with it new problems in Australia's present social mix.

Religious dress codes come into conflict with many sports. Bare arms and legs are forbidden in some cultures and there are other problems that arise in all areas that involve bodily contact.   Guidance in sporting rules does not seem to form a part of todays teacher training.

There is no doubt that social activities for young people are very different from half a century ago.   We are now in the computer age with the advent of sophisticated gaming and fewer kids have the personal mobility of their own push bike, nor roam about in groups on bush or beach outings.  The opportunities to learn to swim are diminishing.

As a result, the typical beach crowd on a very hot day will include a high proportion of non swimmers.   The wise will limit their entry into the water to no more than chest height, but the tendency of Australian beaches to develop a "rip " can bring danger.   Fortunately, many of our beaches are patrolled and rescue quickly follows.

The death by drowning statistics tell a worrying story.   A big proportion of our now adult population was born overseas and many came from landlocked countries where swimming ability would be unusual.  They would be unlikely to seek that skill when making their new life in this country, and having their offspring gain that knowledge would not be high on their priorities.

A study of recent drowning deaths tells a tragic story.   Many occurred on unpatrolled beaches or in areas of a beach far from the patrolled area.    Drownings were also scattered over rivers and remote water holes, where seasonal flooding shifts the risks and where dangerous currents can be hard to identify.  In the majority of cases, a basic swimming skill would have been the difference between life and death.

Perhaps the most basic need is to reintroduce water sport as a required item of school life.   All and every Australian should be automatically taught to swim during their school years to protect them against the dangers of our Australian lifestyle - and no exceptions to that need should be granted.

Self driving cars will eventually drive down the road toll, but to make a swimming skill universal rests entirely in the hands of our education system.