Just like crosses beside the roadway, blue lights will remind us of drowning spots
Key landmarks across the nation will light up in blue as dusk falls to remember the hundreds of Australians who lose their lives to drowning each year.
The colourful display is hoped to prompt people to reflect on what they can do to better protect themselves and others in the water.
The timely reminder comes on the United Nation’s declared World Drowning Prevention Day with an estimated 236,000 people believed to lose their lives to drowning each year.
Closer to home, drowning deaths have been on the rise with 339 people losing their lives in Australian waterways in the 12 months to June 30 last year.
Royal Life Saving chief Justin Scarr said drowning does not discriminate.
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“Whether you are eight months old or eighty, living in a capital city or a country town, drowning is a significant risk,” he said.
“While Australia is well advanced in drowning prevention efforts, there is still much more to be done.”
Mr Scarr said supervising children around water, avoiding alcohol around water, wearing a life jacket when boating and fishing, knowing the conditions and avoid going alone were all key in reducing the nation’s drowning rate.
In memory of those Prominent national landmarks will light up in blue to remember those who have been lost to drowning including: Canberra’s Old Parliament House, Darwin’s Convention Centre, Brisbane’s Story Bridge, Tasmania’s Tasman Bridge, Melbourne Town Hall, Perth’s Convention and Exhibition Centre and Adelaide Oval.
