FOR almost four decades, Australian swimming legend Laurie Lawrence has been delivering a simple message to parents that could save a child’s life: Kids Alive – Do the Five.
Drowning remains one of the greatest dangers facing young Australian children, and for Lawrence, preventing those deaths has become one of the defining missions of his life. His campaign has helped generations of Australian families remember five simple habits that can make all the difference when children are around water.
Lawrence created the campaign as a practical way to tackle childhood drowning through education. Rather than overwhelming parents with complicated advice, he distilled decades of swimming knowledge into five memorable steps designed to reduce the risk of preschool drowning.
The message has become one of Australia’s most recognisable water safety campaigns: Fence the pool. Shut the gate. Teach your kids to swim – it’s great. Supervise – watch your mate. And learn how to resuscitate.
Behind the catchy rhyme is a layered approach to keeping children safe.
Pool fencing and self-closing gates provide a vital physical barrier, swimming lessons help children develop confidence and skills, active adult supervision reduces the chance of a child getting into difficulty unnoticed, and CPR knowledge gives parents and carers the confidence to act while emergency help is on the way.
The need for this education remains as urgent today as it was when Lawrence launched the campaign.
