The sun was out and the water inviting last week for the latest group of Casey residents jumping into the City of Casey's Multicultural Water Safety Program at Aspendale beach.
The program is now in its second year and is funded by Council and run in partnership with Life Saving Victoria. The program is specifically designed to increase water safety capabilities among Casey's multicultural communities and help build confidence around water.
Pool-based sessions at Casey ARC and Casey RACE focus on water safety, confidence building, basic rescues and life jacket use. Beach excursions, like the visit to Aspendale beach, teach safe behaviour in open water, including identifying hazards such as rip currents, reading safety signs, swimming between the flags and bodyboarding safely.
According to the 2024-25 Life Saving Victoria Drowning Report, out of the 52 people who tragically lost their lives to drowning, 12 were known to be from multicultural communities.
City of Casey Mayor Cr Stefan Koomen said the program has been embraced by Casey's multicultural community.
"Council is proud to offer this valuable and literally, life-saving program which has already seen hundreds of Casey residents take part," he said.
"We know that tragically, a high proportion of drownings that have occurred in recent years are people from a multicultural background with limited experience of water safety, particularly in and around the ocean.
"Residents who have taken part in this program have told us they are more confident about visiting the beach or pool thanks to the practical skills they have learned as part of this program, skills that could one day save a life."
