Recently, Helena Stoakley led a training session for an Adult Migrant Education group, introducing new Australians to the Surf Lifesaving Club, supporting their English skills, and helping them integrate into the community while learning about the coastal environment. Attendees included Karen, Timor Leste, Turkish, and Indonesian migrants. This week, the ASLSC and TAFE are running practical sessions on surf awareness and confidence. Although this is currently a one-off project, a grant application has been submitted to make it ongoing. Later in the year, Vietnamese swim instructors will also visit to share skills.
Many new Albany residents come from backgrounds without swimming or surf safety education, making the beach unfamiliar and sometimes unsafe. Language barriers and a lack of suitable programmes mean some families miss out on learning how to stay safe at the coast.
This is especially important in Albany, where 19.2% of residents were born overseas. Nationally, 39% of drowning fatalities in 2023–24 involved people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Only 23% of new arrivals take swimming lessons in their first three years, and just 8% of those are over 25.
To address this, the Albany Surf Life Saving Club will launch an Aquatic Education Programme for CALD residents and new arrivals, offering four short sessions on coastal safety, surf awareness, basic first aid, and the role of lifesavers. Sessions will be repeated for different language groups with interpreters, and there will be ‘Nippers Welcome’ sessions for children. Those interested in supporting the programme, especially with EAL skills, can contact Helena at firstaid@albanysurfclub.com.au or on the beach. Everyone is encouraged to welcome new faces!
