Canterbury honoured with award nomination

Canterbury League Club was recently honoured with a nomination for ‘Heart of the Community’ in ClubsNSW’s upcoming Clubs & Community Awards by Surf Life Saving NSW (SLSNSW).

Last year SLSNSW, in partnership with Canterbury, launched their Multicultural Community Drowning Prevention Short Film series to spread the message of drowning prevention to people living in high-migrant areas like Canterbury-Bankstown Local Government Area who may be unaware about rips and tides.

“The films featured people from different cultures, capturing their real-life stories of drowning deaths or near drowning experience,” said Helen O’Connor, Partnerships Manager of Surf Life Saving NSW. “Those who feature in these films also share safety messages that are specifically aimed at people from similar backgrounds who may be at higher risk of drowning deaths on our coastline.”

200 guests were in attendance with individuals such as the Minister for Multiculturalism Mark Coure and the Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience Steph Cooke, who also participated as panellists in Q&A sessions hosted by ABC host Jeremy Fernandez.

“It is important to involve and empower communities in educating themselves on water safety through meaningful, relevant and relatable stories,” said Peter Winchester, Chairman of Canterbury League Club. “It was great to see the event bring together representatives from different migrant and refugee groups, and to raise awareness on the challenges and opportunities that exist to improve water safety education among diverse communities.”

Read more about the initiative on Surf Life Saving NSW