Lifesavers Go Beyond the Beach!

Over the next week, more than 80 schools across Queensland will be visited by volunteer lifesavers to educate students about the importance of surf and water safety awareness.The Beach to Bush program offers students in regional and rural areas an introduction to surf lifesaving and the vital water safety skills required to stay safe in an aquatic environment.
There are six tours underway in regional and rural Queensland, covering inland areas from North Queensland right down to the border. The program includes age-appropriate messaging about all areas of aquatic safety, including beaches, pools, rivers and dams.
SLSQ volunteers have been offering this free program to Queensland schools for the past 24 years and it is a vital program in helping SLSQ achieve the goal of ‘zero preventable deaths in Queensland public waters’.
Surf Life Saving Queensland Community Awareness Coordinator Sally-Louise Williams said she was looking forward to seeing so many Queensland children take part in this lifesaving program.
“Students from regional communities are often less familiar with the potential dangers of the surf and the program aims to reach those children before they reach the beach,” Ms Williams said.
“Last year, SLSQ lifesavers and lifeguards performed 3,101 rescues and alarmingly 723 of them were for children under the age of 12 years. Clearly, we need to get our surf safety messages out to the regions so we can keep more children safe at the beach.
“The program also highlights some of the risks associated with local waterways, such as dams, creeks and rivers, and provides students with water safety knowledge to ensure they remain safe.”
Beach to Bush runs from 5 September to 9 September 2022 and more information can be found at
https://lifesaving.com.au/courses-and-programs/community-programs/beach-to-bush.
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