Speaking at the APOLA national conference in Wollongong at the end of last week, Association life member Ken Holloway told media “we do an excellent job in drowning prevention and we ve got a lot of people who are involved. However, the demographic is changing on our beaches. This is mainly due to immigration and refugees coming from countries which are sometimes landlocked and they ve never been to a beach before. That s showing up in the drowning statistics.
The APOLA life member’s comments follow one of the deadliest seasons on record for beach drownings in Australia - during which 86 lives were lost, an increase of 30% from the previous summer.
I think it s fantastic, he said of the animated series. I have been pushing water safety for 30 years, so to be able to now put all of my experience and knowledge towards something like this, that is designed to educate kids, is such a genuine thrill.
New gig: Bruce and fellow lifesaver Craig Riddington were both approached to consult on the new series, Kangaroo Island, an animated new kids TV show about beach safety
Kangaroo Beach will follow the adventures of a group of native Aussie animals navigating life around the ocean. Four junior lifeguards, kangaroo Pounce, koala Frizzy, wombat Neville and platypus Gemma are on their way to becoming heroes of Kangaroo Beach, under the guidance of grown-up lifeguards Bondi, Sandy and Big Trev.