Remote Pools Project

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Darwin, NT
Remote Pools Project

Working alongside remote Aboriginal communities to keep local pools open. A project of The Y Northern Territory

28/05/2026

“I needed something new and different in life and this has given me a much-needed break from the ordinary.”

– Georgina, volunteer swim teacher, 2025

Volunteering as a swim teacher with Remote Pools is about so much more than the swim teaching.

We’re now recruiting volunteers for our next season, for placements from October 2026 to March 2027.

Come take a break from the ordinary.

Applications close 11pm Sun 21 June.

To find out more, visit bit.ly/rpp-volunteer-apply

26/05/2026

One of our long-term pool lifeguards, Chantelle, watching over the baby of another lifeguard at Ltyentye Apurte pool.

This , we want this future for all children – growing up in their communities, surrounded by family 💛

May 26 marks the anniversary of the Bringing Them Home report published on this day in 1997.

The report reviewed the Australian government’s policy of forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their homes - children we know today as The Stolen Generation.

📚 Want to learn more?
Watch a 2-minute video by the Healing Foundation about National Sorry Day: bit.ly/nationalsorryday_video26

✨ Want to support brighter futures?
You can follow and donate to:
• Children's Ground, who are ensuring a safe and proud future for current generations of First Nations children through a First Nations-led approach
• Healing Foundation, who are partnering with communities to address the ongoing trauma caused by the forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families
• SNAICC-National Voice for our Children, who support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children to grow up in a safe, nurturing and supportive environment within their family, community, culture and Country

📸 At Ltyentye Apurte pool taken by Jessica Howard for The Australian Women's Weekly; at the Sydney Harbour Bridge walk for Reconciliation in 2000, by Reconciliation Australia.

20/05/2026

We finished up our fifth season at Utju pool back in March.

We’re really proud to have such an engaged local team, with Charmaine, Jessica, Veronica, Sharon, Joshua and Belinda all returning to work from past seasons.

Together with this season’s full-time staff, Matt and Michelle, our lifeguards supervised 4,816 entries over six months, which for a community of only 200 (give or take), is a highly used pool!

This year we increased our facility safety assessment score to 82, making Utju (at 25+ years old) a bronze-rated pool.

We continued to run our tried-and-true programs:
- Swim and Survive lessons for Areyonga School with volunteer Jackie, alongside regular free play
- Adult sessions, particularly popular with school and clinic staff
- Special splash parties throughout the school holidays, thanks to support from indigenous.gov.au

We’re better when we’re working together, so this season we were proud to host:
- Unity College during their annual visit to community
- Bruce Hopkins and the Float To Survive team for a water safety day
- Our friends at Red Dust, Reclink Australia and NT Health for community BBQs

It was a challenging end to the season, with severe flooding across Central Australia cutting Utju off for a fortnight – limiting community, staff and volunteer access, including our whole Term 1 swim program. But, part of the beauty of Utju is the sense of it being an oasis in remote and rugged country. It’s worth the bumpy roads and surprise rains 💛

Big thanks to community, MacDonnell Regional Council and and Budgy Smuggler for your support this season.

18/05/2026

Volunteer with us!

To celebrate , we’re now accepting applications from experienced swim teachers who’d like to volunteer with us in Term 4 or Term 1.

Our volunteers experience 4 weeks of life in a remote Aboriginal community, with all travel and accommodation expenses paid.

We only open our volunteer recruitment once a year, and with just 14 placements available, please apply ASAP.

To find out more, visit https://bit.ly/rpp-volunteer-apply

14/05/2026

At the end of March, we wrapped up our FIFTH season at the Ltyentye Apurte pool!

A big thank you to our multi-season Eastern Arrernte staff, Patricia (front and centre on our staff ‘album cover’), Terry and Malcolm. Their ongoing commitment and cultural authority at the pool make it a safer and happier place 💛

Safety was a key focus for the season, so we were super proud to increase our annual aquatic facility safety assessment score to 90! This score now makes Ltyentye Apurte a ‘silver-endorsed’ public pool, a huge effort for a 50-year-old facility in a remote location. Big thanks to this season’s full-time staff, Andrea and Claire, for their work on this.

Other highlights over the six months included…
- Recording 5,512 entries!
- Teaching swimming to Ltyentye Apurte Catholic School students with volunteers Robbie and Elly
- The school swimming carnival
- Throwing LOTS of splash parties thanks to funding from indigenous.gov.au
- Bruce Hopkins and the Float To Survive team’s first trip to community!
- Adult sessions at the pool (for some calm 🧘🏾‍♀️) and testing a few women’s-only nights
- A parliamentary visit by Jinson Anto Charls MLA, Marie-Clare Boothby MLA, Laurie Zio MLA and Clinton Howe MLA

Big thanks to community, MacDonnell Regional Council, and Budgy Smuggler for working with us through another season.

12/05/2026

Two weeks ago we finished our third season in the Tanami Desert, at the beautiful Lajamanu waterpark.

The waterpark is our most youth-centred facility – it’s a place for kids to cool off, have some food, run around and then plonk down at the arts-table.

Over seven months, we recorded 7,531 visits!

For adults, the waterpark is a sought-after event space in community and this season we kept the park open and supervised for:
▪️ Yandamah Indigenous Corporation to host movie nights and a big jumping castle
▪️ Central Desert Regional Council to host their regular youth program and BBQs
▪️ Red Dog Builders NT to host a BBQ for Carlton footy legend, Matthew Cottrell
▪️ Northern Warlpiri Mozzie’s Football Club to host their meetings
▪️ Big Rivers Tackling Indigenous Smoking to host a health promotion event
▪️ Kalkaringi School, who brought their preschool and Transition students for an end of year celebration

Big thanks to our three local Warlpiri staff: Patricia, returning for her third year (📸 second to the right of Mattew Cottrell), Alarna, returning for her second year (📸 Land Rights News) and Ronson (📸 cooking up a roo tail for the kids over the Term 1 holidays).

And big thanks too to our full-time staff, Dan and Connie, for a great season, and for remaining so committed through challenges with accommodation and road access!

We can’t wait to be back later in the year, for YEAR-ROUND operations moving forward 🥳

〰️

Our waterpark in Lajamanu is run in partnership with community, the Lajamanu GMAAAC committee and Central Land Council.

08/05/2026

That energy 💃🕺🏽

At the end of her program over the summer, our then volunteer aqua instructor Zoe received a certificate from her students, which read:

“Trying her best - Zoe is hereby recognised for her dedication to aqua aerobics instruction and helping the older ladies in Ngukurr get fit”

A+ for effort 😁🏆

〰️

Our pool in Ngukurr is run in partnership with community, Roper Gulf Regional Council and The Ian Potter Foundation.

07/05/2026

In late March, we ended our third season in Yuendumu 🦄

Over six months, we…
▪️ Recorded 9,331 visits to the pool!
▪️ Trialled our first summer holiday program with volunteers Liz and Peter
▪️ Ran learn-to-swim programs for Yuendumu School and Nyirripi School - Nyirrpi Kuurlu students with volunteer swim teacher, Georgina
▪️ Hosted a local parent-baby group for water-familiarisation sessions
▪️ Threw 15 splash parties thanks to support from indigenous.gov.au
▪️ Continued the much-valued evening adult sessions for swimming, skim ball and socializing
▪️ Nearly doubled our annual facility safety score from Royal Life Saving Northern Territory

A big thank you to our site team: Callum, Jordan and Michael. And a special mention to our volunteer swim teacher Tahlia, whose Term 1 programs with Willowra School and Yuelamu school both got cancelled due to flooding 💔

We’ll be back in September with the warmer (and drier!) weather 👋

〰️

Our pool in Yuendumu is run in partnership with community, the Yuendumu GMAAAC committee and Central Land Council.

06/05/2026

When Phoebe (📸 on the left), one of the founders of Go Locum, reached out to us late last year, we knew she ‘got it’.

Phoebe lives in a remote Northern Territory community that benefits from a local swimming pool – and working in health she’s seen first-hand how vital pools are, particularly out bush.

Fast-forward a few months and we want to give our big, big thanks to Go Locum, who have joined as our newest – and first in the Territory! – sponsor 🙏

Together, we’ll deliver another year of water safety and swimming programs in the remote town of Borroloola, free for infants through to Elders.

29/04/2026

We’re hiring!

💼 Duty manger, full-time, permanent.

📍Based in Borroloola, a remote town in the Northern Territory’s Gulf of Carpentaria.

ℹ Work alongside our aquatic coordinator and local casual lifeguards to safely operate the community’s beautiful swimming pool.

🏠 Accommodation and utilities provided, plus access to a vehicle for work-purposes.

💰 $80-$85K p.a. + super + salary-packaging benefits.

🏝 5 weeks annual leave.

For more information: https://bit.ly/borr_dm_0426

📸 Throwback to our very first team in Borroloola, back in 2023.

Address

7 Doctors Gully Road
Darwin, NT
0801

Telephone

+61889818377

Website

http://www.remotepoolsproject.ymca.org.au/, https://www.facebook.com/borroloolacommunitypool, https://www.facebook.com/l

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