Lifesaver calls for support on swim skills plan

Scarborough Wombarra Surf Life Saving Club member Peter Rafferty has a plan to save lives and he's taking it to Wollongong City Council tonight. 

Peter wants council to start free Saturday morning swimming lessons at public pools, recruit surf lifesavers to teach the classes and fund the volunteers’ training, including AUSTSWIM certification.

"In the old days, councils and swimming clubs used to get together and run free swimming lessons for everybody," says Peter.

For the past five years, the Thirroul retiree has stepped up to fill the gap, giving free swim lessons to refugees and asylum seekers in ocean pools.

"I've been teaching adults to swim as well, helping people with their stroke correction and getting them smoother in the water," Peter says. 

"But mainly the focus has been on children... It's just so rewarding. Seeing them so happy, being safe in the water, knowing how to enjoy it… it's so much fun.

"The kids’ excitement is infectious. They see you walk in and they go, 'Peter, Peter, Peter!' and they are all running around your legs – I feel like the Pied Piper!"

Peter’s plan, which he will present to councillors during the public access forum ahead of August 24's meeting, will also call on council to hold a water safety day, help expand Scarborough Wombarra surf club’s multicultural Nippers days, and support multicultural participation in lifesaving.

In March, Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) reported that 50 people died in coastal drownings over the 2025-2026 summer. While this represented a 14% decrease in coastal drowning deaths from the five-year average, more must be done.

Peter says there’s a critical need to provide accessible water education, particularly after cuts to school swim programs.

"The state government and education department stopped free swimming lessons in schools… they used to have those two-week programs," Peter says. "They got $6 million out of the state government and gave it to 15 private providers in NSW... but there's no incentive for the provider to bring people in for free. It seems to me that's been a bit of a dud.”

For the past four summers, Scarborough Wombarra surf club has run multicultural Nippers days for families from non-English speaking backgrounds, including children from Central Africa, Eritrea, Congo and Ethiopia. This year, Peter plans to invite representatives from every surf club in the region to attend the Nippers day in December and see how easily the concept could be scaled across the Illawarra.

With lifesaving clubs facing ongoing volunteer shortages, Peter's proposal is to build more inclusive clubs and bolster beach safety by training volunteers for off-water support roles. This includes people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities and new arrivals in Australia who may not be used to surf beaches.

"We're desperately short of surf lifesavers all along the coast, but there's this huge resource of people that we're not using," Peter says. 

"There are so many roles that are off-water. We can teach them first aid, water safety, how to recognise hazards, use two-way radios, and drive the side-by-side beach buggies. We can get council on board and build those relationships.”

To support this, Peter recommends council provide community volunteer shirts featuring the WCC logo, creating pride in volunteering and paving the way for participants to eventually train for their Bronze Medallion.

Peter’s proposal includes running water safety days alongside organisations such as the Multicultural Community Council of Illawarra, Illawarra Multicultural Services, Southern Youth & Family Services, and UOW.

Ultimately, he aims to build stronger communities, improve swim skills and prevent drownings through a sustainable long-term program.

"I'm 75, so I've got maybe another five years of [facilitating] learn to swim, but after that... I need someone to take it over," Peter says. 

"I don't need for all of these things to happen next year; this is over the next five years. It's all positive, and it's doable.”