The remote Indigenous community of Amata is 1,200 kilometres from the nearest coast.
Located in central Australia near the South Australia-Northern Territory border, it's an unlikely place for a beach safety session.
Andrew Henry, a water safety instructor with Surf Life Saving South Australia, has travelled from Adelaide for exactly that purpose.
But why?
"Yeah, it's a question we get asked a lot, mostly when we stop to get petrol at places, but generally we find most people go to the beach at some point in their life, and we want to make sure people are ready and understand the dangers when they do that, be that next week - next year or in ten years' time.
A small team of Surf Life Savers make the 2,400-kilometre round trip to the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara lands - the APY lands - three times a year, with similar trips to other remote communities.
It's part of the 'beach to bush' program.
Andrew Henry says it was developed after studies showed people who live a long way from the beach were more at risk of dying in waterways.
A report published by Royal Life Saving in 2008 looked at 13 years of data on drowning deaths collected by the Australian Bureau of Statistics -- and found the drowning death rate was 1.7 times higher for those in rural and regional communities, compared to their urban counterparts.
With its desert climate, where summer temperatures regularly climb above 40 degrees, Mr Henry says the visit has multiple purposes.
"There are dangers with all sorts of waterways, and we are not only about the beach, we are about all waterways. Currents on the beaches there are also currents in pools and rock holes."
Amata is one of three communities in the APY lands that has a swimming pool.
Ken Hamilton is the manager there.
He says water safety awareness could be improved in the community.
"At the moment it isn't good, like I'm the only qualified person, so that's why it's really great that Surf Life Saving are here, to help train up some of the locals."
Jasmine is among four young women at the pool to get some training.
"We're doing the lifeguard training .... Keeping the children safe in the swimming pool."
Like most people in Amata, Jasmine speaks English as a second language.
She sees lifeguard training as a community service, but also a pathway to employment in a town where there are very few jobs.
Amata Pool Manager Ken Hamilton, who lives in the community as a temporary resident, says having more locals trained would help bridge a language and cultural divide.
"It gives the locals an opportunity to get a qualification which could lead to employment in Amata. It's also a real benefit for the community as well, because the more locals we can get trained, the longer hours we can open the pool for. And it's pretty well a win-win situation for everyone."
One that could ultimately save lives.
Share
