Spots are filling up fast for the first ever Bush Nippers program to be held these January holidays.
The program run by Moira Shire Council in partnership with Barooga Aquatic and Recreation Centre and Life Saving Victoria runs over two weeks, with the first week running from Monday, January 16 to Friday, January 20.
The second week will run from Monday, January 23 to Friday, January 27.
The Bush Nippers is open to children aged five to nine and is a regional and rural inland adaptation of Life Saving Victoria’s Coastal Nippers education programs and its open water learning lifesaving education programs.
Week one will cost $100 and week two $120 (the increase in price due to the second week running through a public holiday).
Participants will be allocated a class according to their current abilities and will be taught crucial swimming techniques along with water safety, using life jackets and how to survive in various aquatic environments.
The program will be held at the Cobram Outdoor Pool on Punt Rd.
Barooga Aquatic and Recreation Centre co-ordinator Tim Dooling called the program a fantastic opportunity and a vital way to prevent tragedy.
“Water safety is important no matter what lifestyle you live and what background you come from,” Mr Dooling said.
“It is important to learn as a child, and with the shortage of swim teachers, we at BARC currently have a wait list for Learn to Swim. So to be able to help out with this program has been a fantastic opportunity.”
The Murray River region has been rocked by a series of drownings, and the state of Victoria as a whole suffered five drownings over a four-day period from Christmas Day to Wednesday, December 28.
The new year has been no better, with 28 drownings nationwide between Sunday, January 1 and Wednesday, January 4.
According to the Royal Life Saving Society the 2021-22 summer period saw a 30 per cent increase in drowning deaths across Australia.
To secure your child’s spot in the program, phone Barooga Aquatic and Recreation Centre on 5873 4644.