Royal Life Saving Facilitators are volunteer professionals eager to provide customer focused programs that foster training and skills that can save lives and prevent accidents. Facilitators We are the leading provider for Lifesaving Awards in Australia. With an extensive range of courses, support and resources available. Log In About Facilitators Royal Life Saving offers a variety of awards and non-accredited programs, aimed at individuals or groups within the community. These awards can be gained progressively by people of all ages and abilities. The scheme has several strands, each with sequential flow and focusses on educating the community on water safety, personal survival, rescue and resuscitation. These programs are delivered by Facilitators who are volunteer professionals eager to provide customer focused programs that foster training and skills that can save lives and prevent accidents. As a Facilitator, you will gain access to the Facilitator Portal. This Portal contains the information and resources required to deliver a range of Royal Life Saving NSW Water Safety and Resuscitation Programs. You are required to keep your qualifications up to date, to maintain a current Facilitator status and receive RLS Lifesaving Awards. Lifesaving Awards Explore the range of Lifesaving Awards available to Students Resuscitation Awareness Bronze Star Bronze Medallion Bronze Cross Junior Instructor Facilitator Application Apply, transfer or renew your Facilitators and Membership with Royal Life Saving Facilitator Requirements Learn what the requirements are to become a Royal life Saving Facilitator View Now Apply to be Facilitator Click here to submit your licence application to be a Royal Life Saving Facilitator Apply Now Renew your Facilitator status To renew your Facilitator Application please go to the Facilitator Portal. If you don't have an account please contact us Renew Now Facilitator Portal Approved Facilitators can access their Learning and Assessment Resources here Access Now

Royal Life Saving’s SwimVAC is a Swimming and Water Safety holiday program, teaching kids aged 3 - 14 years old valuable swimming and water safety lessons. SwimVac Royal Life Saving NSW School Holiday Program Program Dates: 11th - 22nd January 2027 Book Now Registrations open 1st October 2026 Overview Aligned with the National Swimming and Water Safety Framework and the Swim & Survive program, SwimVAC delivers nationally recognised swimming and water safety benchmarks, teaching essential swimming and personal safety skills to children of all abilities. Royal Life Saving NSW is proud to deliver the SwimVAC program, designed for children aged 3 to 14 years. With a strong focus on developing lifelong swimming and water safety skills, the program supports participants to progress through nationally recognised benchmarks in a safe, supportive and enjoyable environment. Lessons will be offered across Preschool, Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced levels and will run as a two-week intensive program from 11th - 22nd January 2027. For further information about the framework and benchmarks please click here. Our SwimVAC program for 2027 includes: Daily intensive swimming lessons delivered over two weeks Parent/Carer and Preschool classes (30 minutes) School Age classes (45 minutes) A nationally accredited Swimming and Water Safety Program suitable for children of all ability levels Full alignment with the National Swimming and Water Safety Framework Swim & Survive curriculum, lesson plans and certificates provided by Royal Life Saving Access to parent support resources Booking Options Participants can choose to book: One week only, or The full two-week intensive program Program Fees Preschool Classes: $45 per week School Age Program: $55 per week Please note: Parent/Carer classes and advanced levels are not included in all locations. To assist with what level to place your child into please refer to the table below: SwimVAC Locations Please see below for the list of facilities that will be running the SwimVAC Program in 2027. Resources SwimVac Customer Handbook View SwimVac Levels View First Lesson Expectations View RLSNSW Child Safety Policy View Marketing Toolkit SwimVAC 2027 Flyer Download Casual Teachers Wanted! Download The next SwimVAC program will run from Monday 11th January to Friday 22nd January 2027 Become a SwimVAC Partner! Want to be our next Swim Teacher star? We're taking applications for Swim Teacher positions for the upcoming 2027 season. For more information, please email swimandsurvive@royalnsw.com.au Swim Teacher Application Form Make a splash with SwimVAC during the school holidays! Enquire Today With thanks to our supporting partner Anchor 1

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Swim teachers from across New South Wales came together last week for the Emerging Swim Teachers Swimposium, a hands-on day designed to build confidence, practical teaching skills and knowledge to support safe, engaging swimming and water safety education. Held at Murray Rose Aquatic Centre at Cranbrook School in Bellevue Hill on Wednesday 30 September, the Swimposium provided emerging swim teachers with an opportunity to learn, practise and strengthen their skills in a supportive environment, while connecting with others working in the aquatic industry. The full-day program combined classroom learning with practical pool-based activities, giving participants the chance to explore not only what to teach, but how to create positive and effective learning experiences for children. Building confident and capable swim teachers  Throughout the day, participants explored the foundations of quality swimming and water safety instruction, including how children learn to swim, effective communication techniques and ways to create safe, positive and engaging learning environments. Sessions also focus on adapting activities to suit different learners, recognising that every child enters the water with different abilities, experiences and levels of confidence. The afternoon moved into the pool, where participants had the opportunity to put their learning into practice through water-based activities and skill-development workshops. Practical sessions explored the development of swimming strokes and survival skills, with a strong focus on activities that progressively build learners’ skills, confidence and independence in the water. Strengthening the aquatic workforce Supporting emerging swim teachers to develop their skills and confidence is an important part of building a strong aquatic workforce and ensuring communities have access to quality swimming and water safety education. Opportunities such as the Swimposium allow teachers to build on their initial training, ask questions, practise their skills and learn directly from experienced industry professionals. Participants can then take these ideas and practical techniques back to their own lessons and aquatic facilities. The day concluded with a workshop recap and open question session, giving participants the opportunity to reflect on what they had learned and discuss how they could apply their new knowledge and skills in their own teaching. To recognise their participation and support their ongoing involvement in aquatic education, each participant also received a Speedo swim backpack filled with a towel, reusable mug and other goodies to take home. A special thank you to our fantastic presenters Bernadette Neal, Nina Nyitrai, Deny Zancanaro and Julie Zancanaro, who generously shared their knowledge, experience and practical advice throughout the Swimposium. Their enthusiasm and willingness to share their expertise helped create an engaging and supportive learning experience for everyone involved. Royal Life Saving NSW also thanks all of those who attended and embraced the opportunity to learn, connect and develop their skills. We look forward to seeing participants continue to build their confidence as swim teachers and use what they learned at the Swimposium to create positive, safe and engaging experiences for their students.

Royal Life Saving NSW is celebrating its most successful ClubGRANTS year to date, with clubs across NSW contributing more than $350,000 for the 2026/2027 financial year to support drowning prevention and water safety initiatives in communities across the state. Thanks to this significant investment, funded programs are expected to directly reach more than 19,500 people across metropolitan and regional NSW, providing children, young people, adults and families with vital skills and knowledge that can help prevent drowning and save lives. ClubGRANTS funding will support a diverse range of initiatives, including water safety education for preschool and primary school children, Junior Lifesavers programs, First Aid training for young people, swimming programs for children at risk and adults from culturally diverse communities, community CPR and emergency response education, and initiatives such as our Community Bus, which helps remove transport barriers and improve access to swimming and water safety programs. The funding enables Royal Life Saving NSW to take practical drowning prevention programs directly into local communities and reach people who may otherwise experience barriers to accessing swimming, water safety and lifesaving education. From helping a young child learn how to stay safe around water, to improving swimming skills and giving community members the confidence to respond in an emergency, the investment made by NSW clubs will have an impact well beyond the programs themselves. Royal Life Saving NSW is incredibly grateful to every club that has chosen to support our work in 2026. By investing in Royal Life Saving, clubs are directly contributing to drowning prevention and helping equip people and communities across NSW with skills that can save lives. Thank you to all our 2026-27 ClubGRANTS funding partners for being part of our most successful ClubGRANTS year yet and for helping make NSW a safer place to live, swim and enjoy the water. We look forward to sharing the impact of these programs and celebrating the communities reached throughout the year. We gratefully acknowledge our 2026-27 ClubGRANTS funding partners: Batemans Bay Soldiers Club • Bathurst RSL Club • Cabravale Club Resort • Camden Golf Club • Campsie RSL • Canada Bay Club • Canterbury League Club • Castle Hill RSL • Catalina Club • Chatswood RSL • Club Grandviews • Club Liverpool • Drummoyne Sailing Club • Earlwood Bardwell Park RSL Club • Gerringong Bowling and Recreation Club • Granville Diggers • Magpies Waitara • Mayfield Ex-Services Club • Narrabri RSL • Orange Ex-Services’ Club • Panthers Bathurst • Parramatta Leagues Club • Penrith Golf Club • Queanbeyan Leagues Club • Rosehill Bowling Club • Ryde-Eastwood Leagues Club • Seven Hills RSL • Shoalhaven Ex-Services Group • Singleton Bowling Club • Singleton Diggers • Smithfield RSL • St Johns Park Bowling Club • Taren Point Bowling Club • West Tamworth League Club • Wests Group Macarthur • Wests Nelson Bay.

What happens when one child asks a simple question about swimming and water safety - and decides to do something about it? For 12-year-old school captain Archie Patten, that question has sparked a ripple far bigger than he ever imagined. Archie’s idea began with a goal to help more children at his school access swimming lessons and water safety education during school hours. As part of his journey to becoming school captain, Archie spoke to his classmates about making a difference. He later developed a presentation for his school principal and vice principal, putting forward an idea to raise money to help fund swimming lessons for students. His original fundraising target was $2,500. Then his school community got behind him. A Colour Run inspired by Archie’s idea ultimately raised an extraordinary $13,500 - more than five times the original goal. For Archie and his family, the response has been overwhelming. With a Ripple Raffle also planned for Term 4 and generously supported by local businesses and organisations, Archie believes his school has now received enough support. In his words, it could help pay for swimming lessons “for years to come.” And that has prompted Archie to think about what comes next. From raising money to creating a ripple Rather than continuing to ask people to donate to his own school, Archie wants the next stage of Archie’s Ripple Effect to be about something bigger. He wants other children, schools and communities to create ripples of their own. Archie is acutely aware that families and communities are facing cost-of-living pressures. Having already received far more support than he ever expected, he doesn't want the focus to remain on raising more money for his school. Instead, he wants to share an idea. An idea that starts with one simple question: “Does every child at our school have access to the swimming and water safety education they need?” For some schools, the barrier isn't a lack of interest in swimming and water safety - it is the practical cost of making it happen. Archie and his family have heard firsthand of schools in their local area struggling to provide school swimming programs because transporting students to the local pool can cost around $1,000 a week. When transport, pool entry, instructors and other expenses are added together, giving every child access to swimming and water safety education can become difficult for school communities. But Archie’s story shows that young people can be part of finding solutions. Could your school create the next ripple? Archie is now challenging school captains, student leaders, teachers, parents and school communities across Australia to look at what is happening in their own school. If some children are missing out on swimming and water safety education, what could your community do about it? The answer doesn't have to be another Colour Run. It could be a school fete, disco, raffle, community partnership, sausage sizzle, awareness campaign or fundraiser. Better still, it could be an entirely new idea dreamed up by students themselves. Students could research the issue, talk to their teachers and principal, create a presentation, approach local organisations or businesses, and explore what could make swimming and water safety education more accessible at their school. That is exactly where Archie started: with an idea and a presentation. One child can start something much bigger Archie’s story isn't only about the amount of money raised. It is about what can happen when one child asks a question, a school listens and a community gets behind them. Along the way, Archie’s own connection with the water has continued to grow. From his involvement as a nipper and swimming alongside his siblings Albie and Millie, to being named a swimming age champion in 2026, the water has played an important role in his young life. His journey has also brought support from across his community - from his much-loved swim coach Ruth Everuss, to local businesses, organisations and community leaders who have helped turn one student's idea into something much bigger. Now Archie hopes the most important part of his project is still to come. Not another donation. Another ripple. If one school hears Archie’s story and decides to act, and that school inspires another, the impact can continue travelling far beyond his own community. It is fitting that Archie's original school captain presentation had a title that captured exactly what he hoped to achieve: “Making Waves - A School Captain’s Legacy.” What began as one young school captain wanting to help children at his own school could now become an invitation to young people across Australia to make waves of their own. One child. One school. One ripple. Then another. Until those ripples become a wave. Start your own ripple Archie’s challenge to schools is simple: Ask the question. Find out who is missing out. Get your students involved. And create your own way to help more children access swimming and water safety education. Your ripple doesn't need to look like Archie's. It just needs somewhere to start. Royal Life Saving NSW | ACT | TAS is proud to support Archie in sharing his message and inspiring the next generation of young water safety advocates. Archie’s story is a powerful example of what can happen when a young person sees a problem, speaks up and brings their community together to create change. We hope Archie’s Ripple Effect encourages schools, students and communities across Australia to start conversations about access to swimming and water safety education - and, most importantly, to turn those conversations into action. Because one child can inspire a school. One school can inspire a community. And one ripple can become a wave. #ArchiesRippleEffect