The Slight Increase Drowning Deaths in Australian Waterways
As I progress through the final weeks of my University life before heading into the real world of full-time work, in hopefully the radio industry (I'll take what I can get at this stage), one thing i am intrinsically motivated by is the audio package I am preparing as my major assessment task.
Royal Life Saving's National Drowning Report Source: www.royallifesaving.com.au |
I first had to decide who would be a suitable interviewee and how many I needed to fulfil my goal of making an engaging story. I decided that due to time restrictions, three interviewees would be a sufficient number and that I would definitely need to speak with at least one expert in the area, possibly a spokesperson for Royal Life Saving Australia (RLSA) . Luckily, there is a regional RLSA office in Broadmeadow and the manager was happy and kind enough to agree to an interview.
Following the organisation of the initial interview with a RLSA spokesperson, I decided to interview Ross Foster due to his expertise and experience in Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) and RLSA's Swim and Survival Program, which partners with the Department of Education to teach school-aged children swimming and survival skills. For over 25 years, Ross has dedicated his time to SLSA whether is be running the Surf Club's Nippers every Sunday during the season, while also advocating for school student to learn a fundamental life skill; swimming.
Figures from the RSLA Drowning Report Source: www.royallifesaving.com.au |
Although this would add an emotional aspect to my audio package, I decided to put some feelers out there and see if anyone would be comfortable talking about a drowning they had witnessed. I asked around and a girl I went to high school with agreed to bravely speak to me about her sister who drowned at a public pool in 2005. It is pretty heartbreaking to hear and it does tug on a few heart strings because drownings is something we always hear about and if this hasn't directly affected you, you can still somewhat imagine how you'd feel if it did just by hearing the account.
As for now, I need to record my narration of the story. I've had a bit of trouble deciding what information to include in my package but after transcribing my interviews, I have a rough idea of what I'll be saying. I've left myself plenty of time to edit and switch things up and the content doesn't flow the way it should. So, fingers crossed it's all smooth sailing from here.
I've thoroughly enjoyed this task though. I thought it would be easier due to the fact it doesn't need to be University of Newcastle related but that just makes deciding a little more difficult! It's kind of relevant to what we have been learning in another course this semester where although structures do limit opportunities, they also enable us to thrive within these structures to produce a work of art. T.S. Elliot puts it:
“When forced to work within a strict framework, the imagination is taxed to its utmost – and will produce its richest ideas. Given total freedom, the work is likely to sprawl.”
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