The Beach to Bush will lifesavers will be in our region this week to educate school students on coastal safety.
Surf Life Saving NSW’s flagship educational program, Beach to Bush, has hit the road again, with a host of volunteer lifesavers heading inland to promote surf safety to primary school students across regional NSW.
Over the coming fortnight, more than 8,600 students will attend a Beach to Bush session with 72 schools slated to participate in what is the 32nd year of the program. For many, this will be their first interaction with the iconic red and yellow surf lifesavers.
Last year the program achieved a major milestone, surpassing 300,000 students engaged since 1994, across more than 3,500 presentations. This year nearly two dozen volunteer lifesavers continue the mission, with 10 tours 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,” SLSNSW Community Education Manager, Anika Ferrari said.
“Every year more and more families are heading to the coast for holidays. Educating young Australians in safe beach practices is vital. Some children who attend a session have never actually been to the coast or swum in the ocean, let alone learned about rip currents and dangerous marine species.”
The Beach to Bush lifesavers will be in the Orange/Cowra region this week from 3 – 7 November.