Surf Life Saving NSW’s Beach to Bush educational program will be visiting Wyangala Dam in November.
Surf Life Saving NSW’s flagship educational program, Beach to Bush, has hit the road again for 2023, with nearly 50 volunteer lifesavers heading inland to promote surf safety to primary school students across regional and rural NSW.
This year, students from Woodstock Public School have been lucky enough to be selected to participate in the iconic program. Surf Lifesavers will run a training program at Ingenia Holiday Park at Wyangala Dam the week commencing Monday 20th November.
Over the coming three weeks, more than 11,000 students will attend an Ingenia Holiday Parks Beach to Bush session with a record 100 schools participating. For many, this will be their first interaction with the iconic red and yellow surf lifesavers.
Students attending the program learn about the role of surf lifesavers, why they should always swim between the red and yellow flags, how to spot a rip current, what to do if they get into trouble at the beach and the different types of marine life along the coast. Lifesavers also talk about the hazards of inland waterways.
Children from regional and rural parts of NSW are often at higher risk than those from coastal locations because they are less familiar with the beach and unaware of potential surf dangers.
The key aquatic safety messages from the program can also be applied to rivers, dams, pools and other inland waterways.
“It is Surf Life Saving NSW’s vision that every student has access to important coastal safety information – regardless of the size of their school,” SLSNSW Community Education Officer, Jenni Clarke said.