– Justin Scarr, Royal Life Saving Society of Australia chief executive
On a hot, hazy summer day, almost nothing can beat a lazy dip in the water.
On the Border it’s more than a ritual – the region bakes for so long that sometimes it’s the only way to cool down.
There are any number of places to go – right along the Murray and many other rivers and creeks, plus the open waters of lakes Hume and Mulwala.
It’s simply tremendously easy to find a spot, but also deceptively easy to get into trouble.
News of people going missing on a swim, only to be found by our hard-working rescue services a few days later having drowned are commonplace enough to cause concern.
And just like the road safety campaign about country drivers dying on country roads, the same can be said about the dangers of cold, unpredictable water.
It’s all about using your common sense when you’re thinking about going for a swim.
The Royal Life Saving Society of Australia’s latest campaign could not have found a better slogan.
“Respect the River” says it all, but sadly many people up until now have not got the message that will now become front and centre across the region.
The society’s statistics are indeed alarming – the number is 68 lives lost in 13 years. And of those drownings, 35 per cent involved alcohol.
These are, as the society quite rightly points out, tragic statistics.
The society has taken the right approach in telling the community straight. Society chief executive Justin Scarr says there is no dispute our rivers are beautiful.
But coupled with that is the realisation that more people drown in rivers than anywhere else.
“The dangers are often lurking below the surface, you simply can’t see ice cold water, snags like tree branches or strong currents, but they can be lethal,” he says.
These are indeed sobering words.
It’s about the mums or dads who take their eyes off their children while they have a dip down by Noreuil Park, or the teenagers who sneak in a few beers before skylarking with their mates.
It’s about everyone.
Take heed of the message. If you do respect the river, it will undoubtedly save lives.
Border Mail editor Niall Boyle and Royal Lifesaving Society chief executive Justin Scarr launch the Respect the River initiative beside the Murray River on October 25.
People need to understand Murray’s risk
By BLAIR THOMSON
A NEW river safety campaign is all about education, according to Royal Lifesaving Society Australia chief executive Justin Scarr.
Mr Scarr said about 25 per cent of drownings in Australia were in rivers.
He hopes the new Respect the River campaign will change the attitude of people who use the Murray River.
“We’re not trying to discourage people from using the rivers,” Mr Scarr said.
“They are beautiful from a recreation respective.
“What we’re encouraging people to understand is they can be risky.
“There are cold water currents, changing flows and snags, and the campaign is really about education.
“We are partnering with community groups to bring some effort and energy to the campaign.”
Health Minister and Member for Farrer Sussan Ley urged people to pay greater care around water this summer.
Ms Ley helped launch the campaign at Noureil Park in Albury on Sunday.
“While everyone assumes, I guess, that most people drown in the ocean or at the beach, that’s not the case,” she said.
“Our inland waterways are particularly dangerous.
“We’re here on the banks of the Murray River because in this beautiful but dangerous river, eight people lost their lives last year.”
The Border experienced a horror period on the water last season.
Lavington man Roger Bradney drowned at Bungowannah last December while fishing from a boat.
Denique Peace had her leg severed by a boat propeller while wakeboarding at Bundalong the same month.
Melbourne suburban football club identity Marty Humphreys drowned at Lake Mulwala in January, and a 74-year-old kayaker drowned at Tallangatta.
New site for jet skiers
By TAHLIA MCPHERSON
USERS of one of the most“addictive toys” to take on the water have started a Facebook page to promote shared-use of the Murray River.
Avid jet skiers Jamie Conroyand Paul Marshall created the Albury Wodonga Jet Ski Community page last summer to promote safe and responsible riding.
The pair come from a rescue background and have seen first-hand what it's like when things go wrong on the water.
Mr Conroy said while there had always been a handful of jet skiers who gave the hobby a bad name, he was hoping to inform the community on what was acceptable.
“We have a lot of people come to the Border and act up, we are trying to clean that up,” he said.
“At the same time, we also want those who do jet ski responsibly to have a voice.”
The men have been content sharing with similar pages in the US and Europe and have developed a code of ethics which jet skiers should endeavour to follow.
They post tips about new technology, safety and lighthearted information about the sport.
Mr Conroy said simple things like a phone and torch could save people a lot of trouble while out skiing.“
Last summer Paul and I came across two guys at 7.30pm who had broken down on jet skis in the Murray near the top-arm of the Wodonga Creek,” he said.
“Inexperienced people ride up middle of river and suck-up rocks which shuts down their jet ski.
“They are left with no steering and are just floating.These guys had floated about 10km down stream from camp."
“We saw their skis, got one going and towed the other down stream.
“We told them to call their parents because it was getting dark, but they said they had no phone.
“If we hadn’t have been sitting there, how would they have gotten home?”
Mr Marshall said he hoped the page would promote cooperation with other water users.
“Sometimes people do mistreat the waterway but we find predominantly they are from out of town,” he said.
“This page gives us a voice and an opportunity to follow-up bad behaviour.
“It's also a place where people share their trips around the region and let other users know if the water is good and what to pack.”To report incidents on the water call 131 236.
A lifejacket trade to lure in fishermen
BY TAHLIA MCPHERSON
LIFEJACKETS are bein gbrought back into the spotlight a decade after being made compulsory in most boating scenarios in Victoria.
The number of drownings dropped from 10, between 2000 to 2005, down to three the following five years since the laws were tightened.
Life Saving Victoria chief executive Nigel Taylor said boaters and water users need to wear lifejackets, after the number of drownings jumped back up to six in the past five years.
Five of those people were not wearing lifejackets.
“The message has worn off a little bit and we understand some lifejackets can be uncomfortable to wear,” Mr Taylor said.
“But, they have come along way and are much more comfortable and easier to wear now.”
The 2014-15 financial has prompted a reminder for water safety, after nine boating-related drowning deaths were reported in Victoria.
Data from Royal Life Saving Australia shows Victoria had 39 drowning deaths last year which was equal third highest in the country with Western Australia.
Queensland came in second,while NSW took the number one spot with 100 drowning deaths accounting for 37 per cent of the total.
On the Border, the Murray River was the number one drowning black spot in the country between 2000 and 2012.
Royal Life Saving Australia's Aquatic Risk Management manager Craig Roberts said despite the difference between NSW and Victorian laws, people should always wear a lifejacket.
“The statistics around boating and fishing deaths in the Murray relate to the older generation,” he said.
“What we are seeing is people accidentally fall in the water while not wearing a lifejacket.
“The evidence in terms of lives being saved by wearing one is overwhelming.
”To try and lower the number of drowning deaths in the state, Transport NSW has been running the Old4NewLifejacket Upgrade program.
The van will operate in Mulwala at the weekend to provide lifejacket information for water users.
Transport NSW spokesman Neil Patchett said the stop was the last of a national tour.
“We have engaged 10,000 people at 260 sites across the state,” he said.
“The boating population is fairly resistant toward wearing lifejackets.
“If they won't come to us,we thought we would go to them.
“We have been working in the Murray-Riverina region in recognition of the 45,000 boat license holders in that area.
”The van will be along side Mulwala Cod Classic registrations on Saturday and located off Melbourne Street on Sunday.
People with old lifejackets,whether they be ripped,stained or broken, are encouraged to trade them in to get a discount on a new one.
The Murray River has again reared its head as a drowning blackspot.
The Royal Life Saving Society has expressed great concern for the alarming statistics surrounding drownings in the Murray River.
A total of 99 out of 271 people drowned in Australian waterways in 2014/2015, a two per cent increase on the total number in 2013/2014.
Twenty six of those were children aged zero to four, an increase of 30 per cent.
Riverina co-ordinator Tristan Strong has continued to reinforce the message that safety is absolutely paramount around water through education.
Mr Strong said his role was to visit schools and assist classes to focus on people being protected around the river.
"I go into primary schools to talk to students about being safe around the river, and show them what to identify as a danger while not limiting their exposure to the Murray," he said.
Mr Strong said information passed on through school programs had a beneficial flow-on effect.
“We found through research the kids go home and teach their parents what they have learned,” he said.
“It’s a really good way of educating the general community.”
Mr Strong said many people were unaware of the river’s fast currents and frigid temperatures below the surface.
"The cold is a big one for the Murray,” he said.
“People jump into the river on a 40 degree day and the body goes from one extreme to another.”
He added the speed of the river was powerful enough to move an entire tree and flowed faster on the bends.
Mr Strong said ahead of another hot summer, being proactive and telling someone where you go would allow help to be administered if required.
“I have seen parents that are very la-di-da about supervision,” he said.
“Definitely let people where and when you’re going so they know when you’ll be back.”
He said Noreuil Park continued to pose a danger.
“Through our 10year study we found there was quite a few drowning deaths in the region,” Mr Strong said.
There was an 8 per cent reduction on the 10 year average of drownings in streams or rivers.
A river of tears for dad
BY TAHLIA MCPHERSON
ALL it took was one mistake,an oversight, which cost Roger Bradney his life.
It was almost a year ago when the Lavington grandfather was swept away by the Murray River's fast current sat Bungowannah.
He had an oar on boardand a whistle, he'd done everything right – except for wearing a life jacket.
His daughter Sharon Bradney,through tears, reflected on just how quickly the time had passed.
She had one message for water users as the heat of summer began to set in.
“It doesn't matter how old you are, or how much you've been on the water, if you make a mistake the river is very unforgiving,” she said.
Mr Bradney was fishing with his mate, Mark Kendrick,on December 3 when a fishing line became tangled around the boat's propeller.
Ms Bradney said the river was high and the current was fast that day.
“I'm not sure exactly what happened, but they were swept in under some trees and the boat flipped,” she said.
“Mark had dislocated his shoulder so dad tried to help him.
“Mark eventually got himself out, but dad was gone.”At 65, Mr Bradney had a life long love for the river.
He grew up fishing with his father, a past time he enjoyed so much he'd stay out on the water until the last hour of daylight.
His admiration for the river was passed on to his family,who he taught first-hand about water safety.
Before his death, he told his granddaughter Shelbi, 8,just how proud he was she'd been attending swimming lessons.“
Because he was so big on safety, he would want people to know,” Ms Bradney said.“It was all such a shock –the water was a huge part of our lives.“
He was always wary of trees and would use a stick to measure the water levels.
“We were never allowed to be silly on the water – there was no time for error.
“Where the river is concerned,alcohol is a no-go.“And please, for those who use the water, just wear a life jacket.”