Swimming in Western Australia
Swimming as you can imagine is a very popular sport in the whole of Australia. This is reflected in the incredible success the country has had in swimming over the years, and still continues to have. The water is a major feature of Australian life no more so than in WA with the vast majority of its population living within 10 km of the beach.
Swimming As a Recreation & Sport
Swimming is an extremley popular recreation within Western Australia given the number of wonderful beaches and the call of the Indian Ocean and the many rivers. There are also many public swimming pools and a large number of private homes that have swimming pools built into their garden recreational areas.
In order to body surf, water ski and partake in many of the water based activities on offer, there is a need to be able to swim. Beach life and swimming go together like peaches and cream or fish and chips.
Australia has produced many male and female world champions in the sport of swimming in the commonwealth games, Olympic Games and many other worldwide swimming competitions.
There are a number of organised swimming events held within Western Australia which the public participate in one of which is the swim from Cottesloe Beach to Rottenest Island. This is an annual event and drawn many entrants from all walks of life.
Rottnest Island Swim February 2006
The 20 kilometre swim is held from Perth's Cottesloe Beach to Thompson Bay, Rottnest Island. Each year over 1200 people endure the marathon, competing in individual or team events. Only swimming enthusiasts or proffesional athletes are advised to take up this endurance challenge
Swimming WA members have performed admirably in the 2006 Rottnest Channel Swim with City of Perth's Melissa Benson the first female swimmer to finish, with five Swimming WA members finishing in the top 10.
In tough conditions, Benson was the first Female competitor over the line in a time of 5.16.34 and the 2nd competitior overall behind winner Deke Zimmerman in 5.01.43.
Benson said, "It was a pretty tough swim. The swell was really big and the last half of the race was really tough but I was pleased with my time as I improved on last year."
This swim is the third time Benson has taken out the Women's division, also winning in 2002 and 2003. Melissa will now concentrate on the Australian Open Water Swimming Championships in April.
Swimming WA Open Water member Ben Walker finished the swim in 5:17:51 to finish in third position.
Peter Thompson, a Swimming WA Open Water Swimming member, finished in 4th position in a time of 5:26:18, with Jessica Walker finishing 5th in 5:33:05 and Mark Bush finishing 10th in 5:59:37.
The Royal Life Saving Society Australia (RLSSA)
This a not for profit benevolent organisation and has developed into the leading water safety education organisation in Australia. Its roots foundation stems from the United Kingdom, where William Henry commenced water safety education in 1891 and this spread to Australia in 1894.
In 1924, the RLSSA was granted a Royal Charter by King George V and the official RLSSA was formed in 1934. Many aspects of the Society’s operations were managed from the United Kingdom until 1957. In 1959 a supplemental Charter was granted by Queen Elizabeth II and this formally established the National Branch of the Society in Australia. A permanent national secretariat was established in 1978.
In 1984, the Society incorporated as a public company limited by guarantee.
The Western Australian Society was formed in 1924 by a Police Sergeant in Kalgoorlie who conducted water safety education programs for people who travelled to the coast for holidays.
RLSS Mission Statement
To prevent the loss of life and injury in the community, with emphasis on aquatic environments.
Aims and objectives To prevent the loss of life and promote safe participation in water related activities through the:
Provision of educational programs for water safety, swimming, survival, lifeguarding and resuscitation Rescue and lifeguarding programs Water safety programs Aquatic safety audits and risk management services Public education and promotion of water safety
International Life Saving Federation, Commonwealth, National and Branch structure
The Society is a founding member of the International Life Saving Federation (ILS; www.ilsf.org) and a member of the Royal Life Saving Commonwealth.
Australia, along with New Zealand, Canada, United Kingdom and South Africa form the management committee for the Commonwealth Society. The Society is represented in over 40 Commonwealth countries.
Australia is represented on the ILS Board of Directors and the four Commissions (Education and Rescue, Development, Medical and Sport). The Society continually contributes to the ILS agenda in many ways and remains a very active member of the International Life Saving fraternity.
Structure (Western Australia) A Board of Directors runs the Society's Western Australian Branch. This Board consists of a President, Vice President, Treasurer and four specialised Directors. The WA Branch has twenty five professional employees including an Executive Director and three Executive Managers.
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