The chilling video that will strike fear into the heart of any parent – but the life-saving message is too important to ignore
- Surf Life Saving Queensland have released campaign to stop drownings
- ‘Don’t Let Your Child Become A Drowning Statistic’ reconstructs child drowning
- Confronting video shows mother become distracted as child struggles in surf
- Campaign assists SLSQ goal of zero preventable deaths in QLD’s public waters
This chilling video of a small child drowning while her mother relaxes on the beach will strike fear into the heart of any parent.
The advert has been released as part of a campaign by Surf Life Saving Queensland and follows a spate of drownings across Australia.
In the video, a mother and daughter can be seen enjoying a day in the sun on a secluded beach.
While the young girl runs to the ocean to enjoy the waves, the mother becomes preoccupied by her book and fails to see her daughter struggling in the surf.
The camera flashes between chaotic imagery of the young girl throwing her hands above the water, struggling for air and the mother calmly reading her novel.
The chilling video begins by portraying a stereotypical Australian scene where a mother and daughter head to a secluded beach for an enjoyable day in the sun
The mother begins to read while her young daughter runs out to the surf (pictured)
The young girl seemingly disappears beneath the water and the mother looks up to see empty surf.
Frantically, the mother runs towards the waves screaming for her daughter ‘Rosie’.
‘Please, supervise your children and avoid swimming alone,’ the video says.
The campaign aims to tackle the national disaster which has seen 30 drownings recorded in the past 25 days.
In collaboration with Surf Life Saving Queensland (SLSQ) and film students at Griffith University, the ‘Don’t Let Your Child Become A Drowning Statistic’ campaign reconstructs a child drowning.
The campaign was launched to assist with the lifesavers goal of zero preventable deaths in QLD’s public waters.
The mother becomes preoccupied by her book and fails to see her daughter struggling in the surf
The camera flashes between chaotic imagery of the young girl throwing her hands above the water, struggling for air and the mother calmly reading her novel
The young girl seemingly disappears beneath the water and the mother looks up to see empty surf
SLSQ said the campaign is purposely confronting to address the vital message – child supervision at the beach.
According to SLSQ, over 160 children under the age of 10 have required assistance from their lifesaving services since July 1 2018.
The children do not represent a massive chunk of drownings this summer but lifesavers are fearful young fatalities could grow.
Aaron Purchase regional manager of Surf Life Saving Queensland told the Courier Mail that children are frequently pulled from the water.
‘We see many unattended children and kids who have got away from their parents,’ he said.
‘It’s easy to become distracted, but it’s so important to keep them close by and to know their limitations.’
Mr Purchase said children should remain in shallow water if they are not confident or strong in the surf as a little wave or backwash could knock them from their feet.
Frantically, the mother runs towards the waves screaming for her daughter ‘Rosie’