Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Royal Life Saving Australia is urging Northern Territory parents and
carers to keep a close eye on young children around
water now. The warning comes as part of the Keep
Watch campaign, which highlights that drowning is quiet. We know
that and it's well, it's it's quiet, but it's also
incredibly quick and most often it happens when adults are
(00:22):
distracted or when pool gates are left open. Over the
past decade, one hundred and eighty three children under four
have drowned in Australia, two thirds in backyard swimming pools.
It is it's terrible, it is a terrible thought. And
joining us on the line right now is the Executive
director of Royal Life Saving here in the Northern Territory,
(00:45):
Floss Roberts.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Good morning, Floss, Good morning Katie.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Lovely to have you on the show, Floss. The numbers
are alarming and it is so concerning to think that
the majority of these drownings are actually happening in backyard pool.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Yes, Katie, look, they're heartbreaking, heartbreaking statistics. I've got goosebumps
whenever I need to talk to about this, and you know,
it's definitely we've got more swimming pools than a lot
of other states and territories. And what they're founding in
the well, it's not actually it's more than numbers. It's
(01:23):
about lives. And what they've found is that accidental fall
ins are also that leading cause around the swimming pools
as well. So they've not been in the pool, but
they've accidentally fallen in. So it's an absolute tragedy. And
across one hundred and eighty three across Australia, that includes
eight across the Northern Territory.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
And that's eight little lives. You know, it's like you said,
it gives you goosebumps because you just think it is
an utter tragedy when a drowning occurs. And I mean
like it just I mean it makes me question why
are backyard swimming pools still the most place where young
children are drowning?
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Well, I mean I think that what you've already touched
on before. The two leading areas are the pool fence
itself might have just worn out and they've been able
to get through, or the gate isn't self latching anymore.
Like I know, my glass one, I replace that for
the bar one because the glass one kept on to
(02:25):
stay in the jar. And of course you know with children,
you know this for sure, KD. I know with my
three boys there was no fence or tree they couldn't climb.
An accident, you get themselves over with intent, and the
supervision is often the parents are supervising or the cares
are supervising the children, but one thought the other one's watching,
(02:47):
or they just went I just popped out to do this,
and then it just goes quick, silent, and unfortunately the
tragedy's occurred. What also happens, Katie, is that for every drowning,
there is up to eight non fatal drownings, and that's
(03:08):
meant where the child has gone underneath the water and
the parents or the cares have brought them up and
they've been hospitalized and they may have no further injury
or they may have permanent injuries. So that's also a
terrible statistic around. If something happens, you know that they've
(03:29):
got to be able to get them to hospital quick enough.
But yeah, it's definitely the pools are an area where
all families and carers have got to have their own
have a really detailed supervision plan and there's no exceptions
doesn't matter if it's someone's birthday or Christmas Day.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
It's like they are almost to me, they're almost the
more important days in some ways, Floss, because anyone that's
been to a kid's birthday party that's at a pool,
you'll know that unless there's there's one parent that is
actively supervising, or a couple of parents that are actively supervising,
sometimes what happens is people think that grandma or think
(04:09):
that you know, your auntie or whoever is looking after
the kids, and no one actually is.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
That's right, And look, they can also I had this
experience firsthand. They actually think that. I actually think, you know,
my three year old can swim. He's just an absolute
fish in our pool. He's so good with all this.
And then he fell into the water as we were,
you know, heading off to get a bit of cake,
and we got to the fridge. He wasn't there. And
(04:40):
then I said to my husband, where is he? And
there he was, both down in the pool. He could
have stood up, but he didn't. Wow and like he
pulled him out and I nearly passed out. Okay, he
was already blow around the lips. I'm like, oh my goodness,
and you know, he just coughed and then vomited, and
I was surprised at the amount of water that came
(05:00):
out of his mouth. And then you know, I'll cough, cough,
and then honestly, I remember it. I mean it was
twenty eight years ago. I remember that day for ever,
and sadly I didn't realize that I probably should have
taken him to hospital. But we slept with him, you know,
with our sleep, sitting up and everything. But yeah, it
(05:22):
just happens quickly and it can be it's just so dangerous,
and you've got to have that non negotiable that the
supervision is arm's reach and not the twelve year old
or the babysitter or that has to be the adult responsibility.
And if someone's going somewhere, they've got a hand over
(05:42):
that duty. It's like lifeguarden at home.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
Yeah, it is spot on off loss. That made me
get goroosebumps thinking about your family going through that, and
then thinking about the work that you do now, the
incredible work that you do, you know to help other families,
to make sure that we are switched on when it
comes to looking after our kids around the water. I mean,
what are some of the simple things that we can
(06:07):
do to keep our kids safe.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Well, keep watch, meaning you know, all of your attention,
all of your time around that home swimming pool, so
that supervision is number one. The second one is restrict
the access. So it's not okay to have your pool
fence propped open. You've got to keep that sorry gate.
You've got to keep that gate closed. And when the
children are in there, you're in there with them, so
(06:31):
restrict that access so they also know the rules. You know,
you're not in the pool unless Mum or Dad or
Auntie your grandma's there with you. Teach them to swim.
We've got the amazing learn to Swim vouchers so you
can go to a range of wonderful swim schools. We've
got more swim school providers now, so go teach them.
And you've got that funded, you know, one hundred dollars
(06:53):
twice a year to use that towards your swimming lessons.
And then also Katie, know how to respond so you
know nothing. You know that first day as a parent
is really important, so know what you have to do
to be able to get them out of the water
and do CPR, call for an ambulance and then also
(07:14):
you know what you need to do in those actual
emergency situations. So they're the four main things. Supervised, restrict access,
teach and then be able to respond.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
And floss what kind of resources and what does Royal
Life you know, what can people what help can they
get from you guys if they need some some assistance
in terms of improving that water safety awareness.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Yeah, definitely. Well they can first of all go online
and get through the Royal Life Saving website for just
go in there and put ww Royal Life Saving, keep
watch and you can watch some little videos and they've
got the different videos around you know, the children that
are more active and that they're very modern and it
(08:01):
just makes you a little bit more aware. You know,
the adventurous child is the one that's more scared or quiet,
so it's good to just have that. But you know,
we've also got the water safety Awareness program so they
can come in and do they can do that a
little learning or a little workshop on water safety awareness
(08:22):
at home, so they can do that online so they
can just contact Royal Life Saving Northern Territory for that
and then do the lessons that come with the water
safety Awareness program. So it's enough to be able to
get them started. And for some people they just ring
us up, or I'll go to a swim school and
say how can I do this or what do I
(08:44):
need to do? Sometimes it's the grandparents because they're like
we helping with the children with the child care, how
can we do this? Now we have those lessons and
those workshops for them as well.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
All wonderful. Well, Loss, it is lovely to speak to
you this morning. I really appreciate your time. Such an
important message in my view.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Well, thanks Katie, because it's really important that we all
help to raise that awareness of the importance of water
safety and we're not telling parents how to parent, we
just want to be able to keep each other safe
around the water. So thanks for sharing the messages, especially
as we head into the firstive season and Christmas and
New Year.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
Yes, spot on. Floss Roberts, the executive director of Royal
Life Saving here in the Northern Territory, Thanks so much
for your time.
Royal Life Saving Australia is urging Northern Territory parents and
carers to keep a close eye on young children around
water now. The warning comes as part of the Keep
Watch campaign, which highlights that drowning is quiet. We know
that and it's well, it's it's quiet, but it's also
incredibly quick and most often it happens when adults are
(00:22):
distracted or when pool gates are left open. Over the
past decade, one hundred and eighty three children under four
have drowned in Australia, two thirds in backyard swimming pools.
It is it's terrible, it is a terrible thought. And
joining us on the line right now is the Executive
director of Royal Life Saving here in the Northern Territory,
(00:45):
Floss Roberts.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Good morning, Floss, Good morning Katie.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Lovely to have you on the show, Floss. The numbers
are alarming and it is so concerning to think that
the majority of these drownings are actually happening in backyard pool.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Yes, Katie, look, they're heartbreaking, heartbreaking statistics. I've got goosebumps
whenever I need to talk to about this, and you know,
it's definitely we've got more swimming pools than a lot
of other states and territories. And what they're founding in
the well, it's not actually it's more than numbers. It's
(01:23):
about lives. And what they've found is that accidental fall
ins are also that leading cause around the swimming pools
as well. So they've not been in the pool, but
they've accidentally fallen in. So it's an absolute tragedy. And
across one hundred and eighty three across Australia, that includes
eight across the Northern Territory.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
And that's eight little lives. You know, it's like you said,
it gives you goosebumps because you just think it is
an utter tragedy when a drowning occurs. And I mean
like it just I mean it makes me question why
are backyard swimming pools still the most place where young
children are drowning?
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Well, I mean I think that what you've already touched
on before. The two leading areas are the pool fence
itself might have just worn out and they've been able
to get through, or the gate isn't self latching anymore.
Like I know, my glass one, I replace that for
the bar one because the glass one kept on to
(02:25):
stay in the jar. And of course you know with children,
you know this for sure, KD. I know with my
three boys there was no fence or tree they couldn't climb.
An accident, you get themselves over with intent, and the
supervision is often the parents are supervising or the cares
are supervising the children, but one thought the other one's watching,
(02:47):
or they just went I just popped out to do this,
and then it just goes quick, silent, and unfortunately the
tragedy's occurred. What also happens, Katie, is that for every drowning,
there is up to eight non fatal drownings, and that's
(03:08):
meant where the child has gone underneath the water and
the parents or the cares have brought them up and
they've been hospitalized and they may have no further injury
or they may have permanent injuries. So that's also a
terrible statistic around. If something happens, you know that they've
(03:29):
got to be able to get them to hospital quick enough.
But yeah, it's definitely the pools are an area where
all families and carers have got to have their own
have a really detailed supervision plan and there's no exceptions
doesn't matter if it's someone's birthday or Christmas Day.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
It's like they are almost to me, they're almost the
more important days in some ways, Floss, because anyone that's
been to a kid's birthday party that's at a pool,
you'll know that unless there's there's one parent that is
actively supervising, or a couple of parents that are actively supervising,
sometimes what happens is people think that grandma or think
(04:09):
that you know, your auntie or whoever is looking after
the kids, and no one actually is.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
That's right, And look, they can also I had this
experience firsthand. They actually think that. I actually think, you know,
my three year old can swim. He's just an absolute
fish in our pool. He's so good with all this.
And then he fell into the water as we were,
you know, heading off to get a bit of cake,
and we got to the fridge. He wasn't there. And
(04:40):
then I said to my husband, where is he? And
there he was, both down in the pool. He could
have stood up, but he didn't. Wow and like he
pulled him out and I nearly passed out. Okay, he
was already blow around the lips. I'm like, oh my goodness,
and you know, he just coughed and then vomited, and
I was surprised at the amount of water that came
(05:00):
out of his mouth. And then you know, I'll cough, cough,
and then honestly, I remember it. I mean it was
twenty eight years ago. I remember that day for ever,
and sadly I didn't realize that I probably should have
taken him to hospital. But we slept with him, you know,
with our sleep, sitting up and everything. But yeah, it
(05:22):
just happens quickly and it can be it's just so dangerous,
and you've got to have that non negotiable that the
supervision is arm's reach and not the twelve year old
or the babysitter or that has to be the adult responsibility.
And if someone's going somewhere, they've got a hand over
(05:42):
that duty. It's like lifeguarden at home.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
Yeah, it is spot on off loss. That made me
get goroosebumps thinking about your family going through that, and
then thinking about the work that you do now, the
incredible work that you do, you know to help other families,
to make sure that we are switched on when it
comes to looking after our kids around the water. I mean,
what are some of the simple things that we can
(06:07):
do to keep our kids safe.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Well, keep watch, meaning you know, all of your attention,
all of your time around that home swimming pool, so
that supervision is number one. The second one is restrict
the access. So it's not okay to have your pool
fence propped open. You've got to keep that sorry gate.
You've got to keep that gate closed. And when the
children are in there, you're in there with them, so
(06:31):
restrict that access so they also know the rules. You know,
you're not in the pool unless Mum or Dad or
Auntie your grandma's there with you. Teach them to swim.
We've got the amazing learn to Swim vouchers so you
can go to a range of wonderful swim schools. We've
got more swim school providers now, so go teach them.
And you've got that funded, you know, one hundred dollars
(06:53):
twice a year to use that towards your swimming lessons.
And then also Katie, know how to respond so you
know nothing. You know that first day as a parent
is really important, so know what you have to do
to be able to get them out of the water
and do CPR, call for an ambulance and then also
(07:14):
you know what you need to do in those actual
emergency situations. So they're the four main things. Supervised, restrict access,
teach and then be able to respond.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
And floss what kind of resources and what does Royal
Life you know, what can people what help can they
get from you guys if they need some some assistance
in terms of improving that water safety awareness.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Yeah, definitely. Well they can first of all go online
and get through the Royal Life Saving website for just
go in there and put ww Royal Life Saving, keep
watch and you can watch some little videos and they've
got the different videos around you know, the children that
are more active and that they're very modern and it
(08:01):
just makes you a little bit more aware. You know,
the adventurous child is the one that's more scared or quiet,
so it's good to just have that. But you know,
we've also got the water safety Awareness program so they
can come in and do they can do that a
little learning or a little workshop on water safety awareness
(08:22):
at home, so they can do that online so they
can just contact Royal Life Saving Northern Territory for that
and then do the lessons that come with the water
safety Awareness program. So it's enough to be able to
get them started. And for some people they just ring
us up, or I'll go to a swim school and
say how can I do this or what do I
(08:44):
need to do? Sometimes it's the grandparents because they're like
we helping with the children with the child care, how
can we do this? Now we have those lessons and
those workshops for them as well.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
All wonderful. Well, Loss, it is lovely to speak to
you this morning. I really appreciate your time. Such an
important message in my view.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Well, thanks Katie, because it's really important that we all
help to raise that awareness of the importance of water
safety and we're not telling parents how to parent, we
just want to be able to keep each other safe
around the water. So thanks for sharing the messages, especially
as we head into the firstive season and Christmas and
New Year.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
Yes, spot on. Floss Roberts, the executive director of Royal
Life Saving here in the Northern Territory, Thanks so much
for your time.
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