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River safety push to target CALD communities at Mildura
Mildura Rural City Council is working with Sunraysia Mallee Ethnic Communities Council (SMECC) to ensure residents from CALD backgrounds can safely enjoy our region’s most valuable natural asset – the Murray River.
Sunraysia is celebrated for its cultural diversity with residents from more than 70 nationalities now calling the region home.
However this rich multiculturalism can sometimes mean newly-arrived residents may not be aware of the potential dangers of swimming in the Murray River, which combined with possible language barriers, can pose a risk to those looking to beat the heat in the river.
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Jake. Image: Supplied.
Children most commonly drown when they are not expected to be around water. While there is no substitute for active adult supervision, it s important to have other strategies in place to protect children in times we get distracted.
The Keep Watch program from Royal Life Saving Australia has four key drowning prevention actions. When used together, these actions help ensure the safety of our kids around water.
1. Supervise.
Active supervision means focusing all your attention on children, not only when they are actively in or around water, but any time they have access to water.
Supervision isn’t the occasional glance while scrolling on your phone or cooking dinner. Toddler drowning happens quickly and silently, so it s not safe to only listen out for kids.