Charli and Levi Crapp enjoying the family friendly Moruya Swimming Pool. Photo: Lucy Cartwright.
Batemans Bay has spent $63 million on a new pool complex – a facility that should be a cornerstone of community safety, health and childhood development. Yet for many local families, it is still practically impossible to get children into swimming lessons.I have three young children aged four, two and eight months. For the past year, I have been actively trying to enrol my older children in swimming lessons.
What I’ve encountered is staggering. The fact they have not been taught to swim is not through a lack of effort on my part, but because of a system that simply does not function.I initially contacted the Bay Pavilions via email. Responses were extremely slow, and eventually the email trail went completely dead, despite several follow-ups.
I then went in person, put my name down on a list, and was told I would be contacted when availability arose. I never was.
When a new term began, I emailed again – no reply.
So, I took matters into my own hands. I took my children to the pool and grabbed a small kickboard from a trolley to start teaching my two older kids some basics myself.
Almost immediately, a staff member stopped me and said the kickboards were reserved for swimming classes. I looked around – only one small class was running, and there were plenty of boards.
I stayed at the pool for another hour. No further classes began. Eventually, I watched staff wheel the trolley of kickboards into an office, unused.This is not about kickboards. It’s about priorities.
Swimming is not a luxury in a coastal town; it is a life skill. We live near the ocean, rivers and pools. Teaching children to swim is about safety, confidence and preventing tragedy.
The National Drowning Report 2025, published by the Royal Life Saving Australia in partnership with Surf Life Saving Australia, found there were 357 drowning deaths over the past 12 months – 27 per cent higher than the 10-year average.
Over the past 20 years, more than 500 children under the age of five have died from drowning in Australia and for every fatal drowning in this age group, eight children were admitted to hospital following a non-fatal drowning. On average, these children stay in hospital for 1.5 days. Some sustain lifelong brain injuries, impacting families and communities.
A $63 million pool means very little if families cannot access lessons, communication is poor, and resources sit unused while parents are turned away.
If Batemans Bay can build a world-class facility, it must also deliver a functional, accessible swimming program for local children. Right now, the infrastructure exists but it seems the opportunity to learn does not.
- Footnote: To his credit, a manager has since contacted me, listened to my concerns, and promised to follow up by email regarding swimming lessons. I appreciate that interaction and will wait to see what happens.
