A Townsville and Region Water Safety Initiative is calling for expressions of interest to join a multi-agency round table to address drowning prevention measures in the region.

Research conducted by Royal Life Saving Society – Australia (RLSSA) has identified North Queensland as a targeted area for reducing drowning. In the 10-years 2011/12 to 2020/21, 655 people drowned in Queensland, 33 of whom drowned in Townsville, equalling an average of 3 people every year in the region.

The objectives of the initiative are to:

• Facilitate a common understanding of local drowning and water safety issues specific to the region
• Present key research and data relevant to the area to interested parties and those with a responsibility for water safety
• Support a commitment to working together on a collective strategy for the region
• Commence working towards collective solutions/actions that could be collated into a local water safety drowning prevention plan

The initiative will be held as a series of round table discussions, comprised of a series of presentations and workshops occurring over a three-month period May-July. The first Round Table workshop will be held on Friday, May 6, 2022, at James Cook University, Douglas, Townsville.

Royal Life Saving is extending the invitation to all agencies and organisations with an interest and/or responsibility for water safety and drowning prevention.

To express an interest in being involved, please complete the Expression of Interest form here:

The Expression of Interest process closes COB Friday, April 1, 2022

RLSS Australian Resuscitation Club member Jamie Martin has successfully launched a Queensland Parliament E-petition requesting the House to prioritise the consideration and implementation of a system of mandatory accreditation and annual training in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) for all residential properties.

This includes any residential property where there is a pool, including new builds, existing dwellings and rental properties where there is an existing pool, or pool to be installed.

Whilst pool fence regulations are there to save children from outside the pool, the requirement for formal mandatory accreditation in CPR training will enhance the ability to ensure the safety of children once inside the pool.

As an organisation dedicated to drowning prevention, Royal Life Saving Queensland urges all Queenslanders to consider signing this e-petition.

Click this link to open the E-Petition: www.parliament.qld.gov.au/Work-of-the-Assembly/Petitions/Petition-Details?id=3722

Queensland Parliament E-Petition 3722-22 – ‘Mandatory accreditation and annual training in CPR, pool safety standards in Queensland’.

The Queensland Primary and Secondary School Life Saving Championships is back and being held on Sunday 22 May 2022, at the Sunshine Coast Grammar Aquatic Centre.

📅 Sunday 22 May 2022
🕒 Secondary students: 8.00am
🕒 Primary Students: 1.00pm
💲 $10 per competitor (unlimited number of events)

The event allows schools that undertake programs such as Swim and Survive to give students a sporting alternative.

The Championship for the Primary school students will include age-appropriate swim racing and rescue events, such as the

• 8m Line Throw,
• 50m Rescue Race,
• 100m Individual Life Saving Race, and more.

The Secondary School students will have an opportunity to compete in the

• 200 Individual Medley,
• 4 x 50m Team Survival Relay,
• 100m Rescue Race, and more.

The Championships are being hosted by the Sunshine Coast Grammar Pool Lifesaving Club, which is affiliated with Royal Life Saving.

The Championships are open to any school student. Entries close FRIDAY 6 MAY 2022.

Join us in celebrating the amazing contribution of women in global drowning prevention.

Featuring key leaders from drowning prevention across the world, from emergency services, lifesaving, programs, research, advocacy.

Join us to hear from leaders in different areas of drowning prevention:
– learn about leadership challenges and opportunities
– explore the context of #breakthebias and what it might mean for our field
– discuss how can we collectively challenge or change the bias

Speakers include:
• Dawn Whittaker, Chief Executive of East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, and National Fire Chief Officer lead for water safety and drowning prevention in the UK
• Claire Ann V Alfonso, President, Norges Livredningsselskap (Norwegian Life Saving Society)
• Catherine Greaves, Chief Executive Officer, Life Saving Victoria, Australia
• Dr Jagnoor Jagnoor, Injury Program Lead, The George Institute for Global Health, Australia
• Dr Chanel Phillips, (Ngāti Hine, Ngāpuhi), University of Otago, New Zealand
• Dr Rebecca Sindall, Evidence Manager, RNLI, UK
• Dr Colleen Saunders, University of Cape Town, Life Saving South Africa

Facilitator:

Stacey Pidgeon, Royal Life Saving Society – Australia Thursday 10th March
8pm NZ / 6pm AEDT / 9am SAST / 7am GMT

Ipswich City Council, in conjunction with Royal Life Saving Queensland, are happy to offer adults aged 18+ free water safety and swimming lessons in this five day learn to swim program.

Monday 14 – Friday 18 March 2022
9.30 am, 10.30 am and 11.30 am
Orion Lagoon
155 Southern Cross Circuit,
Springfield Central

Each lesson goes for 45 minutes. By enrolling in this program, you are committing to attend all five lessons from Monday 14 – Friday 18 March, at the same time each day. In this program you will learn:

*Please note that this program is for Ipswich City Council residents only.

You can view the terms and conditions below.

Royal Life Saving Queensland releases our summer newsletter. In this newsletter read about:

• Airlie Beach Lifeguard Club
• Volunteer Opportunities
• Job Opportunities
• New RLSSQ Governor
• Projects Update
• Upcoming projects
• Swim Teacher Extension Courses
• Vale Bruce Campbell AM MBE
• Medal of the Order of Australia
• Australian Resuscitation Club medals
• Health, Social, Economic Value of the Aquatic Industry

Download your copy now.

JAMES ‘JIM’ MCCLELLAND BM HAS BEEN RECOGNISED WITH A MEDAL OF THE ORDER OF AUSTRALIA

Decades of dedication to his community and lifesaving by Royal Life Saving Society – Queensland member James ‘Jim’ McClelland BM has been recognised with a Medal of the Order of Australia in the Australia Day 2022 Honours List.

Since his initial involvement in 1971 as a member of the Ithaca-Caloundra City Life Saving Club, Mr McClelland has volunteered thousands of hours to the organisation as a lifesaver, historian and committee member.

Across his 60 years of service, his lifesaving skills have saved thousands of lives, with Mr McClelland volunteering more than 300 hours to patrols in the 2020-21 season alone.

Long-standing Royal Life Saving Queensland Board Member and President Mr Les Mole said Mr McClelland’s work has excelled across club, State and National levels.

“As well as being an active patrolling member on the Sunshine Coast, Jim is on the State Board of Directors, and the Honours and Finance Committees for the National Association,” Mr Mole said.

To celebrate the 125^th anniversary of Royal Life Saving in Australia, Mr McClelland wrote and published two history books, researching, writing, compiling and designing the books.  The first titled The Bronze Medallion & Lifesaving Story (2016) and Numismatic History of the Royal Life Saving Society-Australia (2017), he provided these books free of charge to libraries and has made the books freely downloadable online.

At Commonwealth Level (RLSS-Commonwealth), Mr McClelland has been a member of the Commonwealth Heritage Working Group since the group’s formation in 2017. In this group he uses his skills and enthusiasm for research and achieving to build on the society historical collection.

Royal Life Saving Society – Australia Chief Executive Officer, Justin Scarr said Mr McClelland exemplified the spirit of life saving.

“This honour is fitting recognition for the countless of hours of service he has given to his community,” Mr Scarr said.

“We are delighted to see his hard work and dedication recognised formally.”

Mr McClelland has received Royal Life Saving Society Honours, with the highest at each level being:

Life Member of the Ithaca-Caloundra City Life Saving Club, Life Member of RLSS-Queensland Companion of RLSS-Australia, and Bar to Service Cross of RLSS-Commonwealth.

Royal Life Saving is offering the following courses:

• CPP31218 – Certificate III in Swimming Pool and Spa Service
• CPP41319 – Certificate IV in Swimming Pool and Spa Service

The next Course is:

View the Course Brochure (which includes the course outline) here which includes more details and information about the course.

This course complies with our Position Statement in respect to the qualifications required when operating a commercial aquatic facility. This statement is a result of the release of Queensland Healths water quality guidelines for public aquatic facilities (dated December 2019). The purpose of the guideline is to reduce risk to public health and the focus is on water quality associated risks.

Worksafe Queensland has issued an alert that covers a range of issues surrounding safety at swimming pools.

We would like to remind pool operators that they should manage health and safety risks by:

• Conducting an aquatic supervision risk assessment
• Preparing a supervision plan
• Providing trained pool lifeguards, pool supervisors and first aid officers
• Ensuring young people or people with limited swimming competency such as children are accompanied by adults who need to supervise them
• Ensuring children under five years of age are constantly supervised by an appropriate parent/guardian who is prepared to swim (adequate supervision means the parent/guardian must accompany the child in the water and always remain within arm’s reach)
• Ensuring children under ten years of age are constantly accompanied by an adult while in the aquatic area
• Ensure unsupervised children under five years of age are removed from the water and placed in a safe area until collected by the parent/guardian
• Ensuring an unsupervised child of poor swimming ability, regardless of age, is removed from the water by a staff member

To find out more, visit this link: https://www.worksafe.qld.gov.au/news-and-events/alerts/incident-alerts/2021/safety-at-swimming-pools