A message from the Mayor - Take care in our rivers

Published on 02 November 2015

It’s around this time each year, with the weather warming up, that I like to remind people to make sure they think carefully about water safety and in particular, safety around our rivers.

The Royal Life Saving Society of Australia are currently running the “Respect the River” project aimed at educating people about the dangers of inland waterways, which includes rivers, lakes, dams and creeks.  Their statistics show that in 2011/2012 over 100 people drowned in inland waterways with 75 of these occurring in rivers, creeks and streams.  And sadly, our very own Murray River tops the list of the 10 Most Dangerous Drowning Black Spots.

Already this year I have noticed lots of people out and about on the river and I really want to encourage everyone swimming in the river to take extra care.  If you’re not a strong swimmer (and even if you are) please consider wearing a lifejacket, please never swim alone or while intoxicated and please keep an eye out for others.

There are some great first aid courses available now and I personally think everyone should complete a CPR course.  These days there are even courses aimed at children, to teach them how to start resuscitation and what to do they find someone who has drowned or stopped breathing.

2012/2013 drowning statistics showed the absence of appropriate supervision was the major contributing factor in 94% of drownings. Even if there is a lifeguard present, drowning can happen quickly and silently and everyone needs to remember that our lifeguards, while diligent and skilled, are not babysitters.

If you’re not keen on swimming in the river, then don’t forget Council has eight great public swimming pools where you can cool off.

As we do each winter, Council has carried out maintenance works at many of the pools during the cooler months and with the facilities at Merbein, Mildura, Red Cliffs, Irymple, Ouyen, Murrayville, Colignan and Underbool now open, I’m strongly encouraging everyone to support these much loved community assets.

We can’t dodge the fact that our pools are one of our most expensive assets to maintain and we need to ensure the viability of this service into the future.  The easiest way to do this, is for you to utilise the services whenever you can.

I must say that we should be proud of how well the facilities are maintained and cared for with many beautifully-manicured lawns and spotless change-rooms.

While public swimming pools can be a fun and safe place to stay cool, water safety is just as important here as anywhere else. We need to make sure we take all the steps necessary to ensure our family members all follow pool rules and remain safe and sound.

This also goes for those of us who intend to swim in private swimming pools this summer too.  And yes, even our new Water Play has the potential to be a hazard if you’re not paying attention at all times.

Where ever you’re swimming, please make sure you check your environment carefully – is the pool properly fenced, are water hazards clearly marked and are there boats in the area?

I highly recommend viewing the Royal Life Saving Society’s water safety tips, available online at www.royallifesaving.com.au – we can never have too many reminders on how best to keep our precious family and friends’ safe near water.

Let’s enjoy all our public pools, beaches and sandbars and waterways this summer but lets keep an eye on each other at all times.  We want to keep our swimmers safe.

Cr Glenn Milne
Mayor