As summer heats up, parents are being urged to ensure children have the skills to stay safe in and around water. Royal Life Saving Society of Australia figures show 284 Australians — many of them toddlers — lost their lives in drowning accidents during 2011-12. Maribyrnong mayor Catherine Cumming and state Multicultural Affairs Minister Nicholas Kotsiras (pictured with 6-year-old Abishan) popped into the pool at the Maribyrnong Aquatic Centre last week for a closer look at learn-to-swim classes for children from diverse backgrounds. The cultural program classes, run as part of the VICSWIM Summer Kidz Program, train people of different backgrounds to become swimming teachers. Subsidised Summer Kidz Program classes cost $25 per child for five classes. Enrol at vicswim.com.au
