THE death of a four year old boy at a Mildura holiday park last Christmas is a tragic reminder of how quickly and tragically things can, and do, go wrong around water.
Already this summer, there have been drownings reported throughout the country including the Murray River from Albury on Christmas Day to the Murray mouth near Goolwa just days into the summer period.
And already in Mildura there have been a couple of near misses, if not for the dedicated volunteers who patrol the Apex Park beach each summer.
Last Christmas the young boy and his family checked in to the holiday park, no doubt excited about the holiday and the approaching sixth birthday of their son and brother.
About 20 people attended the party including eight adults before the children began using the facility’s fenced pool enclosure and separate splash park that had water slides but no pools.
The gate between the two areas was left open on the day of the tragedy to allow the children to access both areas when the toddler went down a slide into one of the pools and did not resurface.
Twelve months after the tragedy, a coroner said that had there been adequate adult supervision of the child his death could have been prevented.
But that begs the question of what is “adequate” and when it comes to water and, in particular, children, there are no second chances.
The coroner, in this instance, said that with summer having just begun and much of the Victorian community having recently emerged from lockdowns imposed to manage COVID-19 pandemic, it was timely to reiterate and emphasise the water safety message.
“As a result, many children will be enthusiastically embracing the opportunity to engage in water-based activities with friends and family, in circumstances where few of those children would have had the opportunity over the last couple of years to develop and improve their swimming skills with organised lessons,” the coroner said.
In the 12 months to June 30 this year, Victoria had recorded its worst drowning toll in 20 years, with 61 people having drowned across the state.
The Royal Children’s Hospital said it considers supervision to be “constant visual contact, not the occasional glance” and advise that children under five must be within arm’s reach.
Royal Life Saving Australia says supervision is the “single most important thing” that people can do to keep children safe around water.
But it also has some other practical advice that could help keep the region fatality free this summer including being aware of conditions.
The Murray River is a unique landscape with its sandbars, deep holes and strong currents.
Many years ago it was considered a trophy to have swum the river back and forth; foolhardy then and foolhardy now.
The consumption of alcohol around the water is also one of the biggest risk factors for drowning among adults and research shows that poor decision making can lead to tragedy, while not swimming alone is also strongly recommend and a life jacket can be the difference between life and death.
They all make good sense in any situation involving water, but especially the mighty Murray River which is enjoyed by many at this time of year.
It is a national treasure and a natural attraction and with temperatures rising into the 40s in Mildura for the first time this summer this weekend, scores of people will be seeking some solitude and frivolity by the water.
If those people take heed of the many, repeated warnings, they will be able to get the same enjoyment year after year and avoid a family having to deal with the life-long impact of losing a loved one to drowning.
