27 November 2025

Strengthening skills across Hedland’s aquatic workforce

Royal Life Saving WA’s Hedland Talent Pool members spent last Friday building their conflict management skills with other aquatic industry professionals at a LIWA Aquatics professional development session.

The De-escalation of Conflict and Aggression workshop brought together staff from Gratwick Aquatic Centre, South Hedland Aquatic Centre, Wanangkura Stadium and our Talent Pool crew for a day of learning and skill building.

The workshop focused on equipping teams with the confidence, practical tools and situational awareness required to manage challenging, agitated or aggressive behaviours in a safe and effective manner.

Dr Christian Mauri led the engaging workshop, with Kariyarra Elder Raylene Gordon joining as cultural consultant to provide cultural relevance and First Nations perspectives. The cultural context was highly insightful and particularly relevant for the Pilbara workshop participants.

“It was valuable to talk about the different issues teams are facing and work together to proactively problem solve through conversation and shared experience,” said one participant.

The workshop was made possible thanks to a collaboration between Town of Port Hedland Manager of Recreation & Leisure Facilities Claire MacIntrye and Royal Life Saving WA Head of Employment Programs Tim Turner.

Thank you to LIWA Aquatics for facilitating the workshop, which was a valuable session for our young Talent Pool members as they embark on their aquatic careers.