newy.com.au – A Newcastle water safety program that has educated more than 800,000 participants about staying safe at beaches, pools and other waterways has marked its 60th anniversary.
City of Newcastle lifeguards joined students and Councillor Peta Winney-Baartz at Hamilton North Public School to celebrate six decades of the free Water Safety Education Program.
The program began in 1966, when beach inspectors John Young and Kevin Mongan taught children about safe surf practices and appropriate beach behaviour. It has since expanded into a comprehensive eight-week course covering beaches, pools and open bodies of water, including rivers, lakes and dams.
Lifeguards visit 50 schools across Newcastle each year and commit more than 700 hours to delivering the program, which runs during Term 3 ahead of the warmer swimming season.
City of Newcastle lifeguard Sam Biddle said the program had influenced generations of Novocastrians, including those who now deliver its lessons.
“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.”
The anniversary comes as national figures highlight the continued risks around the coast. Surf Life Saving Australia’s 2025/26 Summer Report recorded 50 coastal drowning deaths across the country, with most occurring in regional and remote locations.
City of Newcastle acting executive manager community and recreation Donna McGovern said these swimming spots were typically unsupervised and difficult for emergency services to reach.
“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.”
Cr Winney-Baartz said water safety education remained vital as Newcastle’s population grew and its demographics changed.
“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.
“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.”
