A program that has educated more than 800,000 participants on the importance of water safety made a splash at Hamilton North Public School today to celebrate its 60th anniversary.
Councillor Peta Winney-Baartz, City of Newcastle lifeguards and students from Hamilton North Public School celebrate 60 years of the Water Safety Education ProgramCity of Newcastle’s free Water Safety Education Program began in 1966 with beach inspectors John Young and Kevin Mongan teaching children about safe surf practices and beach behaviour.
Six decades later, the comprehensive eight-week program also includes advice on locations such as pools and open bodies of water, with lifeguards visiting 50 schools across the Newcastle each year to help kids stay prepared, feel confident and be safe.
City of Newcastle lifeguard Sam Biddle said the program has made an impact on generations of Novocastrians.
“I took part in the program as a student and have now been part of its delivery for more than 10 years,” Mr Biddle said.
“We run the program over eight weeks in Term 3 so children in Newcastle are well-prepared for the popular spring and summer swimming seasons.
“By actively engaging children and empowering them with the knowledge to keep them safe, we hope to prevent drownings, accidents and minimise children getting into dangerous situations around water.”
According to Surf Life Saving Australia’s 2025/26 Summer Report, 50 coastal drowning deaths were recorded across the country, with the majority occurring in regional and remote locations.
City of Newcastle’s Acting Executive Manager Community and Recreation Donna McGovern said these swimming spots are typically unsupervised and hard to reach with emergency response services.
“Our lifeguards do an incredible job, but the community also needs to reduce risk-taking behaviour and make safer choices when visiting the coast,” Ms McGovern said.
“Surf Life Saving Australia data shows that 66% of coastal drowning deaths occurred more than one kilometre from a patrolled location, reinforcing the importance of teaching children and young people the skills they need to stay safe at the beach.
“City of Newcastle lifeguards use extensive on-the-job experience and knowledge to educate children about water safety in a fun, smart and interactive way, committing more than 700 hours each year to this program.
“They’re also dedicated to water safety education every day, consistently engaging with the community to promote key messages.”
Water Safety Education Program at Hamilton North Public School Councillor Peta Winney-Baartz said the program is vital for Newcastle’s changing demographic and increasing population.
“A lot of new citizens move to Newcastle because of its stunning coastline, but they are often disproportionately represented in drowning statistics,” Cr Winney-Baartz said.
“This program seeks to interactively educate every child about water safety and covers the beach, pools and open bodies of water such as rivers, lakes and dams.
“Educating our young people empowers them to transfer water safety knowledge to their families, turning students into instructors and creating a powerful cycle of learning.”