Matt Welsh is encouraging schools in Braidwood and surrounding areas to enter the “Wet ‘n’ Wise” “SafE-CARD Competition” where students are asked to create water safety slogans. Schools can win a Water Safety Fun Day, which includes a visit by Matt Welsh.

Last year over 296 Australians drowned in preventable water-related activities. Drowning is the fourth most common cause of “accidental” death in Australia.

Olympic medallist Matt Welsh has got behind Australia’s biggest water safety initiative “Wet ‘n’ Wise”.

Matt Welsh is urging schools in Braidwood and surrounding areas to get involved in a major national competition where primary students work together to learn about water safety and then create water safety slogans on the internet. The winning class in each state will win a Water Safety Fun Day including a school visit by Matt Welsh and a DVD player.

Matt Welsh is one of Australia’s top swimmers, having won two gold medals at the 2001 World Championships in Japan and two silver and a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympics.

The “SafE-CARD Competition” asks primary school students in Braidwood and surrounding areas to create a safety slogan for each of the four SafE-CARDS depicting different water safety scenes found on the Wet ‘n’ Wise website. The students then select an official class entry to be entered into the competition. Schools can enter as many classes as they wish. Full details are available at www.wetnwise.com.

Latest figures show 296 Australians drowned in preventable water-related activities during 1999-2000. 80 percent of all drownings are males. Drowning is the fourth most common cause of “accidental” death in Australia.