21 October 2025

Be a Mermate hits the road for high school expos across WA

From Northam to Karratha and right across Perth, Be a Mermate has been busy this term visiting 13 high school health and wellbeing events across Western Australia!

Over the past few months, Royal Life Saving WA Health Promotion Officers Tneale and Aariane, along with university student volunteers Rita and Briony, spoke with more than 3,000 young people about water safety and how to look out for their mates in and around the water.

With more health and wellbeing expos popping up in WA high schools, students are getting the chance to connect with local community organisations, learn about the services available to them, and even share their own knowledge with younger peers.

For Health Promotion Officer Aariane Agnes, attending the expos has been a meaningful way to connect directly with young people.

“The students are so eager to learn, they love being involved in the activities, and it's inspiring to hear so many say they want to become swim teachers, lifeguards, or Mermates.”

At the Be a Mermate stall, students spun the challenge wheel to test their water safety knowledge, learned practical skills like the recovery position, and took home free resources including keychains, stickers and CPR facemasks. They also had fun coming up with creative one-liners to use when a mate is about to do something risky around water. “Pizza’s here! If you get in the pool you’ll be having the crusts,” “Quick, we’re doing that TikTok, come be in it,” and “Hurry up, your mum’s on the phone!” were just a few favourites that showed how easy it can be to speak up to prevent potential injury or drowning.

Youth Water Safety Program Coordinator Tneale Maher shared that these conversations help build confidence for real-life situations.

“We all care about our mates, but in the moment, speaking up in front of friends can feel daunting,” Tneale said. “When I first ask young people what they’d say if they saw a mate about to do something dangerous, they're often unsure. Once we break it down and workshop their one-liners together, there’s a real shift. They start laughing, sharing ideas and building confidence. By the end, speaking up feels easy and natural.”

“My hope is that they carry that confidence with them as they grow older, make new one-liners and feel ready to look out for their mates while encouraging others to do the same.”

Health Promotion volunteer and student Briony Walmsley said taking part in the events has reinforced why she chose this field of study.

“Attending these events has been rewarding, offering opportunities to engage with young people and see the importance of health services. It was a motivating experience and has reinforced my purpose and vision within health promotion.”

Each of the 3,172 conversations our team had helps build the skills, knowledge and confidence young people need to make informed decisions around water and keep both themselves and their mates safe.

The Be a Mermate team will be back out at Leavers this November, ready for more conversations about keeping safe and looking out for mates during one of the biggest weeks of the year.

Be A Mermate is proudly supported by the Department of Health WA. Find out more about how Royal Life Saving WA will be supporting young people at Leavers 2025.