We have made the very difficult decision to close the Burpengary Aquatic Centre, effective 12pm on friday 6 October 2023.
The pool was constructed in the early 1980’s and is in need of significant structural repairs or redevelopment. Royal Life Saving have taken the very difficult decision to close the centre whilst repairs and re-development options are considered.
Arrangements have been made with alternate aquatic facilities in the area to ensure that children who are enrolled in lessons have the option of moving to a neighbouring swim centre. Existing Burpengary Aquatics customers will be offered 4 weeks free learn to swim at nearby aquatic facilities.
A full refund of fees will be provided to all customers who have pre-paid fees. We will communicate the refund process to those affected customers in the coming days via our Burpengary Aquatics website.
Royal Life Saving has arrangements in place to support Burpengary Aquatic staff at this very difficult time for them, including potential for employment at other aquatic centres.
Facility Supervisor & Manager Breakfast & Workshop Royal Life Saving Society Queensland (RLSSQ) is excited to announce an Advanced Supervision Workshop tailor-made for Facility Managers and Supervisors. This is a unique event designed to provide crucial insights, develop your leadership skills, and empower you to excel in your professional journey.
EVENT DETAILS
Date : 15 November 2023
Time : 7:00am – 9:30am
Location : Anna Meares Velodrome, Sleeman Sports ComplexRegistration Fee : $50 per person
Agenda Highlights :
Advanced Supervision Professional Development Module: Get an in-depth understanding of the latest strategies in supervision.
Identifying Barriers of Supervision: Learn how to recognize and overcome barriers for effective management.
Expert Talks: Listen to Facility Managers discuss real-world supervision scenarios.
Panel Discussion: Participate in an interactive dialogue featuring industry experts.
Who should attend? If you’re a Facility Manager or Supervisor who aims to tackle daily challenges more effectively and unlock new opportunities, this workshop is for you.
Why it’s important to ARQ Members? As an ARQ member, you are already dedicated to elevating standards in aquatics and recreation. This workshop aligns perfectly with that mission, giving you actionable insights that can be applied across various operational contexts.
Royal Life Saving releases it’s annual report for the financial year (June 2023). The society continued to provide increased services to the Queensland community, with significantly increased activity in community programs, training and other activity.
Society President, Ms Nicky Sloan said “As your newly appointed President, I’m both honoured and excited about our journey ahead”. Executive Director Mr Paul Barry said “Our need as important now, as it was in 1905. In the last 12 months , there have been far too many lives lost to drowning, the majority of these could have been avoided”.
The National Drowning Report 2023, developed by Royal Life Saving – Australia in partnership with Surf Life Saving Australia, provides an analysis of fatal drowning between 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2023.
The analysis shows that 281 people lost their lives to drowning in Australia last financial year. Nationally, the number of drowning fatalities in children aged 0-4 years (16 deaths, 6%) was 33 per cent below the ten-year average.
57% of drowning deaths were people over the age of 45 years.
Drowning was above the 10-year average for all age groups 45 years and older except for 65-74, where there was no change.
The leading drowning locations for nationally were rivers/creeks (76 deaths, 27%), beaches (75 deaths, 27%), and ocean/harbours (33 deaths, 10%).
The National Drowning Report analysis also shows that those residing in regional and remote areas drown at higher rates compared to those residing in major cies, and that those living in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas drown at higher rates that those in advantaged areas.
President of Royal Life Saving Queensland, Mr Les Mole, has stepped down from the role. Royal Life Saving would like to thank Mr Les Mole for his service to Royal Life Saving. Mr Mole departs as President after many years on the Queensland board.
Mr Mole commenced with Royal Life Saving Queensland as Executive Director in 1994, a role he held for 10 years until 2004. Following this, Les became a board member holding the offices of Treasurer, Secretary, Deputy President and most recently, President. Les was also on the RLSSA National Board from 1994 to 2011 and was also a member of the Rescue Committee of the International Life Saving Federation. Les is a Life Member, trainer and assessor for Royal Life Saving and has authored several publications including Free Chlorine, a book on the history of RLSSQ and the story of China Life Saving.
The board would like to thank Les for his outstanding service to Royal Life Saving over the years and wish him all the best for his future.
This Strategy was developed from a Forum in 15 – 16 May 2023, which saw more than 120 delegates from over 45 organisations meet together to develop a collective water safety strategy for the South East Queensland region. The forum, co-hosted by Royal Life Saving Society – Queensland and City of Gold Coast, came about as a result of Royal Life Saving research, which found that 366 people had drowned in the region in the last 10 years, making the region a drowning blackspot region.
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It was found that 30% of drownings occurred in a river or creek, 33% while swimming or recreating, and 30% at the Gold Coast. A Strategic Framework has been proposed following a review of available drowning data, media reports, the lived-experiences of the individuals, groups and agencies represented at the engagement forum. These accounts reflect where the burden of drowning is highest, where the issues are most preventable and whether the local issues are sufficiently defined and understood so that actions can be targeted.
Redcliffe, Qld (other locations might also be available)
Description
We will require lifeguards for the summer season for a seven day a week facility (i.e. you will be expected to work weekends). This is a hands on role – you will need to be prepared to supervisor a water area and do other duties including: clean toilets, etc.
Training: We are prepared to cover the training costs for applicants who are employed.
This role is ideal for a person who is coming to Australia for a working holidays or on a visa (which includes an ability work). If you have overseas lifeguard qualification, we can assist you obtain Australian Qualifications to work as a lifeguard in Australia.
Employment Status
Casual (whilst hours can vary, we expect lots of shifts are available in peak season).
Pay Rate
Lifeguard in Training: Level 2 on the Fitness Industry Award 2020 Lifeguard (fully qualified): Level 3 on the Fitness Industry Award 2020
The GSPO are the recognised national industry standards that describe and make recommendations on the appropriate minimum standards of safety attached to the design, ownership, and operations of aquatic facilities. They provide a recognised standard of care in particular areas of design and operations.
All aquatic facility designers, owners and operators are strongly recommended to access and understand the GSPO to meet their obligations under the relevant State and/or Territory health and safety legislation.
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Multiple subscriptions
Subscribers can easily register up to 10 facilities or users to a subscription with the option to pay by credit card or invoice. There are discounts available of up to 10% for up to 10 facilities.
For subscribers with more than 10 facilities or users, a formalised Management Subscription service is available. The Management Subscription option applies to organisations who are either managing multiple aquatic facilities or are a member-based association whose membership includes aquatic facilities. Discounts up to 30% are available for subscribers with more than 10 facilities.
“Renew in the first week of July to enter the draw to win a ticket to the World Conference on Drowning Prevention – valued at $875.”
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Renew in July to avoid CPI increase
There will be no increase in price for GSPO subscribers if subscription/renewal takes place in July. However, a CPI price increase will be applied from 1 August.
Management agreements must be renewed and paid for in July to avoid the CPI increase. CPI is currently 7%.
The Australian aquatic industry continues to lead the way in recognising the skills and experience of older workers and women, with the National Aquatic Industry Workforce Report 2023 also revealing improvements in Indigenous employment rates.
The report, which was conducted by Royal Life Saving Society – Australia, presents demographic information on the key roles and make-up of the workforce across Australia and builds on research previously undertaken in 2019. More than 2000 workers completed the detailed survey which informed the report.
Royal Life Saving will host a lunchtime webinar Wednesday 19th July to launch the report and present its key findings. The webinar is free to access and a recording will be made available to GSPO subscribers
We are pleased to be joined by an expert panel of presenters and speakers including:
* Shaun Jackson, RLSSA * Nicky Sloan, City Venue Management * Georgie Nichol, AUSTSWIM * Grant Connors, Belgravia Leisure
Webinar Details – Wednesday 19th July 2023, 1:00pm-2:00pm AEST
People living in South East Queensland are invited to have their say on the new draft South East Queensland Water Safety Strategy, which was released today and developed in response to high levels of fatal drowning in the region.
It follows a two-day forum which gathered community groups, emergency services, water safety experts and government representatives from a range of local, state and federal government agencies in May.
Forum attendees identified 17 priority areas accompanied by action items that they believe will move South East Queensland closer towards the target of reducing drowning by 50 per cent by 2027.
New research showing 366 people had drowned in the past 10 years in South East Queensland, making it a drowning blackspot, prompted the Royal Life Saving to convene the forum.
Forum co-host, Royal Life Saving Society – Queensland Executive Director Paul Barry said this was the first time that all three layers of government have come together in Queensland with such a varied group of stakeholders to cover drowning prevention challenges across the important geographical region.
“This strategy will help guide collective policy and action to reduce the drowning toll and we invite anyone living in the region to provide their feedback,” Mr Barry said.
“Every person who drowns is a beloved family member, colleague, child or parent, and every drowning has tragic consequences for the whole community.
“Our hope is that individuals, governments, media organisations and community groups pick up this strategy and instead of working out who is responsible for what, work out what they can do to save lives and make a difference.”
Surf Life Saving Queensland Chief Executive Officer David Whimpey said the strategy provides a compelling call to action and strikes an appropriate balance between setting strategies for policy and practice.
“Surf Life Saving Queensland is supportive of empowering community members to be safe in, on and around the water and this strategy is in total alignment with our vision of zero preventable deaths in Queensland public waters,” Mr Whimpey said.
“We encourage stakeholders to take up this strategy, but also for community members to get involved in lifesaving.”
Forum co-host, City of Gold Coast’s Acting Branch Manager for Community Venues and Services Tim Goward said the Council’s aquatic facilities can play a meaningful role in reducing the drowning toll.
“Community pools are a great place for people to swim, and we believe our Council-owned facilities can play a positive role in implementing relevant parts of the strategy,” Mr Goward said.
“We would encourage everyone who comes in for a swim or enjoys any of the beautiful local waterways to share their thoughts on the draft strategy.
“The Council intends to review municipal water safety planning arrangements and seek to develop a local water safety plan which supports the achievement of the targets in the strategy.”
The draft water safety strategy is available for comment below.
A digital feedback form has been developed and is available here:
