Indoor Aquatic Centre
As a parent of 4 young children and local small business owner of support services for people living with a disability, I plead Council to implement all means necessary to provide the local community with all year round Indoor Aquatic Centre ASAP!
Each of our four children started swimming lessons before 12months of age at George's Fish School. This decision was based out of equipping our children with the knowledge of water safety as early as possible due to the lifestyle we are blessed to have living in the High Country with all types of water activities at our fingertips - lakes, dams, rivers, boating activities and backyard pools. At age 2, our eldest now 8 years of age, fell into a pool, I was already in the pool and in a position to reach her, but due to my confidence in her water safety education at George's Fish School, I decided to let her put her training into practice and she did exactly that! I was ready to aide her any second that she showed any sign of stress but I didn't need to, she did every thing that she had been taught and got herself back to the edge and to safety at age 2 and a half! Her water safety education could of saved her life that day if no one had seen her fall in. Our local children currently do not have access to this type of education. Our youngest is now 2 and there is no way he would be able to save himself in the same situation that his sister found herself in at the same age. I am concerned for the development of my children's swimming ability since not being able access local swimming lessons on a regular weekly/fortnightly basis. Living in such an area as the Mansfield Shire, we should be made aware that the Royal Life Saving National Drowning 2021 report has found that the highest number of drownings occurred in rivers/lakes (fresh waterway types) and the second highest type of activity was boating!
As a Support Worker for people living with a disability in the local Mansfield Shire, the positives of an Indoor Aquatic Centre extend further than water safety, these include but are definitely not limited to:
Hydrotherapy for adolescents and adults | Cerebral Palsy Alliance
Please consider such a service being made available for those who need such a resource for their health and wellbeing as well as medical needs.