Imagine a person, they cannot swim, they can hardly paddle. Now imagine they are a member of the Muslim community, living away from the coast, they are a busy father and a hard-working member of their community. They visit the beach with their family and his children get caught in a rip. He runs into the water to help but with no water skills, he drowns. This is a tragic but recurring story. Now, let's take a few steps back and change the story. Imagine a group made for Muslim men, a group that learns to swim together. Now imagine these men are given the opportunity to learn to swim in the ocean, toe by toe developing an understanding of the unique differences between pool and ocean safety and swimming.

Now imagine these men are provided with a pathway, an opportunity to train to become a lifesaver. They are supported in a culturally responsive environment to learn and develop their skills and a day comes when a Muslim man, who could not swim just one year ago, now stands on the shore between the red and yellow flags, as an Australia hero. A lifesaver. What an amazing story! We are happy to say that this is more than just a story, it is a reality and one that has been driven by community, a community intent on stopping tragic drownings and focused on ensuring that all communities, and all people, can not only enjoy our coastlines but thrive in them.

This journey has been one of cross-learning between Surf Lifesaving, male cultural communities and the organisation Swim Brothers. We have understood the shared responsibility for safety and have worked together through challenges and barriers to successfully bring this initiative to life.