Despite an increase of swim and survive safety activities since 2002, an in-depth report released by Royal Life Saving Society – Australia shows that youth drowning rates have not dramatically decreased in Australia.

Australians are fed up with these youth drowning rates, with a Newspoll survey conducted last week revealing that 92% of Australians believe that swimming and water safety lessons should be mandatory for all Australian primary school aged children.

Compiled from a study of National Drowning Reports since 2002, the report has revealed that nearly 600 young Australians aged between 0 – 19 have drowned in this timeframe, with 54% of these deaths (318) coming from children aged between just 0 and 4. The in-depth report comes as a new campaign is launched today to help fund swimming lessons for 10,000 less fortunate children.

Whilst there is strong support for mandatory swim lessons, cost appears to be a key factor in preventing people from giving their children lessons, with 80% of the 1200 people surveyed agreeing that the cost of swimming and water safety lessons prevents a lot of people from having them.

This is supported by the Royal Life Saving report which found that children from indigenous, culturally and linguistically diverse and regional and remote areas, as well as those from lower socio-economic and disadvantaged areas  are missing out on learning how to swim and survive.

These children are the focus of SWIM KIDS OPERATION 10,000, a new campaign launched today by UNCLE TOBYS® in association with Royal Life Saving.  In response to the drowning study, UNCLE TOBYS® has developed SWIM KIDS OPERATION 10,000, a fundraising campaign to help raise funds to provide FREE swim and survive lessons for 10,000 less fortunate children in Australia.

Australia will engage with local children’s charities like Barnardos Australia, to help identify the children who will be provided with FREE Swim and Survive lessons.

A custom built swimming pool will occupy Customs House in Sydney for 10,000 minutes to promote the cause and raise funds to help fund much needed swim and survive lessons. For 10,000 minutes, passionate water safety advocate and mother, Melissa Rickwood will be spending her time at the pool and at home, spreading the message and encouraging the community to support the SWIM KIDS OPERATION 10,000 campaign. 

Supporting the campaign is Olympic Legend and Dad of twin toddlers Charlize and Jager, Grant Hackett alongside current swimmer Eamon Sullivan.  Speaking at the SWIM KIDS OPERATION 10,000 launch, UNCLE TOBYS® ambassador Grant Hackett said every Australian child should have the opportunity to learn about swimming and water safety.

‘We don’t want any Aussie kids to miss out on a water education. Swimming and water safety lessons should be accessible for all children.’

Eamon Sullivan, agreed saying, ‘Every child deserves a swimming and water safety education. Being taught how to swim and about water safety is a fundamental right of every Australian child.’

The first child to be given the opportunity to learn to swim and survive through SWIM KIDS Operation 10,000 is six year old Charbel. Grant Hackett assisted with Charbel’s swimming lessons and helped him overcome his fear of water. Royal Life Saving Society – Australia nominated Charbel to be the first recipient of this opportunity via their relationship with Barnardos Australia. 

UNCLE TOBYS® Sponsorship and Digital Communications Manager, Angela Kominatos encouraged Australians to get behind the initiative.  ‘We are proud to be associated with Royal Life Saving and working with them on such an important issue that affects the lives of so many Australian families.  I encourage all Australians to get behind SWIM KIDS OPERATION 10,000 and help us help 10,000 less fortunate kids learn how to swim and survive.’

DONATIONS are tax deductible and can be made at www.swimkids.com.au 

Additional Report Findings:

What is SWIM KIDS?

www.swimkids.com.au
SWIM KIDS is an initiative of UNCLE TOBYS® supported by Royal Life Saving Society – Australia designed to provide parents with the information, knowledge and tools they need to help teach their kids to swim safely. Parents are encouraged to visit www.swimkids.com.au and join other parents on www.facebook.com/swimkidsoz to find out how they can help reduce child drowning.

The site includes:

• A Swim School and Pool Locator of Royal Life Saving Society – Australia associated facilities. Find a Swim and Survive Swim School in your area by submitting your postcode.
• FREE Swim and Survive Water Safety Lessons (video snap shots, featuring Olympic Swimming Champions Grant Hackett and Eamon Sullivan
• Fun and safe water safety games to play with the family
• Water safety and swimming tips for Mum’s and Dad’s wishing to learn more about how to keep their kids water safe

What is Swim and Survive?

Swim and Survive is a comprehensive swimming and water safety initiative of Royal Life Saving- Australia that seeks to increase the swimming and water safety skills of all Australian children in order to prevent drowning and increase participation in safe aquatic activity. The skills and knowledge learnt in the Swim and Survive program offer a level of protection, by providing children with solid foundation skills in swimming, survival and basic rescue.

 How will money raised in SWIM KIDS OPERATION 10,000 be spent?:

Royal Life Saving Society – Australia will utilise the funds to provide FREE or subsidised Swim and Survive lessons to less fortunate children.

As a guide:

• $5 provides a Swim and Survive lesson for a less fortunate child
• $20 provides a child’s Swim Kit of goggles, swim cap and kickboard
• $50 donation provides a 10-week (1 Term) Swim and Survive course for one child
• $300 provides an accreditation course for a Swim and Survive Instructor in a rural or remote location

How will children be selected to receive the FREE swim and survive lessons?

• Royal Life Saving Society – Australia will engage with local children’s charities like Barnardos Australia, to help identify the children who will be provided with FREE Swim and Survive lessons.

Donate Today to help us help provide FREE swim and survive lessons to less fortunate Aussie kids.

• The ABC’s of Back to School
• Packing a Balanced Lunch
• Lunchbox Recipes
• Balance your lunch

Royal Life Saving has made the comments as it launches the 2011 Swim and Survive program which has the full support of UNCLE TOBYS. To get more information, go to  www.swimandsurvive.com.au  or join the conversation with thousands of other parents on facebook www.facebook.com/swimkidsoz.

 Assuming that 50,000 children will leave Primary School without these skills each and every year for the next 10 years, and there is no effective system in the teenage years to fix the problem, that’s 500,000 kids years at extreme risk of drowning.

 A number of UNCLE TOBYS Ambassadors are supporting the Swim and Survive program including Olympic medallists Eamon Sullivan, Emily Seebohm, Grant Hackett and Cate Campbell. 

UNCLE TOBYS Ambassador Eamon Sullivan said, “This partnership is focused on getting more children to have the valuable swimming and water safety skills they need to stay out of trouble.  Swim and Survive is about personal survival and teaching children all kinds of useful water safety skills.”

Royal Life Saving’s CEO Rob Bradley says, “The enormous support from UNCLE TOBYS has allowed us to make huge progress and bring the benefits of this program to the public.  This is a very important program because the safety of children’s lives has to be the highest of priorities.”

UNCLE TOBYS Ambassadors Grant Hackett, Eamon Sullivan, Cate Campbell and Emily Seebohm will be participating in the Royal Life Saving Active Family Fun Days, proudly supported by UNCLE TOBYS SWIM KIDS. 

It is a great opportunity for families to be part of a great family fun day where Mums and Dads can get into the water with their children and practice water safety techniques in a fun and safe environment.   

Families are encouraged to participate in a range of water safety activities which are grouped according to the children’s age. For younger children, they can have fun with popular games such as Safety Simon Says which conveys basic water safety knowledge. Older children can show off their swimming style in noodle races and learn rope throwing skills that could one day help them save somebody’s life. Families can also learn the basic principles of resuscitation.

With the generous support of Sony Computer Entertainment and UNCLE TOBYS, children who participate in the activities are given the chance to win great prizes including a Sony PSP and UNCLE TOBYS Swim and Survive products.

Entry to the event is by Gold Coin Donation with all donations going directly to the Royal Life Saving Swim and Survive Fund which is helping to provide swimming lessons for financially disadvantaged children.

Eamon Sullivan  Sunday 27 November – NSW

NSW National Centre for Indigenous Excellence

180 George St, Redfern NSW

11:00am-2:00pm

27th November 2011 – Information Sheet – Eamon Sullivan

 Eamon Sullivan Sunday 4 December – NSW

NSW Waves Fitness and Aquatic Centre

Cnr Mileham and Oxley Ave, Baulkham Hills NSW

11:00am-2:00pm

4th December 2011 – Information Sheet – Eamon Sullivan

Grant Hackett Sunday 4 December – VIC

VIC Leisurelink Aquatic and Recreation Centre

140 Pioneer Rd, Waurn Ponds VIC

12:00pm-3:00pm

4th December 2011 Information Sheet – Grant Hackett

Cate Campbell Sunday 4 December – QLD

QLD Long Tan Aquatics

Cnr Fulham Rd & Lindeman Ave, Heatley QLD

11:30am-2:30pm

4th December 2011 Information Sheet – Cate Campbell

This year’s report has been impacted by the significant flash flooding events in the Lockyer Valley Queensland, and widespread flooding across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, reminding Australians of the need to plan to prevent future flooding events and avoid unnecessary risks around floodwaters.

Men are now three and a half times more likely to drown than women, with men aged between 18 and 34 years of particular concern.

Royal Life Saving CEO Rob Bradley says the figures are a sobering reminder of the challenges we face in reducing drowning across Australia. “These figures show there is a huge amount of work to be done – especially to reduce the number of people aged 55 years plus drowning (which continues to increase), the number of men 18 to 34 drowning and the number of drowning deaths occurring in inland waterways such as rivers, creeks and streams which has doubled in just three years from 58 people in 2008 to 114 in 2011.

After many years of focus, child drowning has reduced slightly in the past year, although Royal Life Saving cautions it is an area that has fluctuated in previous reports and child drowning prevention efforts must be maintained.

“Drowning deaths of children under 5 are reducing, which is extremely pleasing. There has been a 15% reduction in drowning in children aged under 5, compared to the 5 year average, with 5 fewer deaths in than in the previous year. Royal Life Saving cautions that child drowning remains at unacceptably high levels.”

“Royal Life Saving calls on all state governments to review their policies and programs focused on encouraging people with backyard swimming pools to comply with legislation or best practice. There has been a significant reduction in drowning deaths in home swimming pools in Queensland this past year, where the government announced significant reform to the legislation in 2010. It is clear that the message is starting to get through with mandatory inspections, increased public awareness and a register of pools. Royal Life Saving, through its Keep Watch program supported by PoolWerx, continues to urge all parents to supervise their children constantly when they are near water and to learn CPR. Water awareness classes such as the Swim and Survive program, which UNCLE TOBYS proudly supports, are a great way to introduce young children to a lifetime of fun and safe aquatic activity.”

To view the full report please click here.

More than a third of Australian women feel their lives are too complicated while nearly 40 per cent wish eating healthily was easier.

A recent study of 1000 women commissioned by the Uncle Tobys team, found that 44 per cent of women aged between 24 and 39 consider food labels too tricky to read, and 70 per cent want simple snacks with just a few healthy ingredients to nibble on during their busy days.

The study coincides with the launch of the Uncle Tobys Simply range of adults snacks, and highlights the lack of uncomplicated and minimally processed grazing options…until now.

The new Uncle Tobys Simply range of portion-controlled snacks comes in a selection of fruit bars, fruit nibbles & nature’s mix.

The snacks feature only a handful of ingredients; fruit, grains, nuts and seeds, and very little else.

The new Uncle Tobys Simply range is in store September 2011.

Uncle Tobys Simply. It’s not that complicated.

To learn more about Uncle Tobys Simply range click here.

Survey highlights:

• 48 per cent of women surveyed wish their personal finances were less complicated.

• 43 per cent wish keeping healthy was easier.

• 39 per cent want healthy eating to be less complicated.

• 37 per cent of women admit they have a tendency to overcomplicate things.

• 48 per cent said they struggle trying to find quality time to spend with their partner.