Crocodiles were the biggest concern for Gracia Masudi as she approached an Australian waterway for the first time on Monday.
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The 15-year-old African refuge was one of 17 Murray High School students undertaking Life Saving Victoria river safety training at Noreuil Park.
Gracia was assured by her friend, Ester Musemu, it wouldn’t be crocodiles to look out for around inland waterways.
“I don’t know much about the river; people say in Australia you should learn how to swim,” she said.
“Back home in Africa, we don’t really go swimming.
“I’m a bit scared as it looks quite deep.”
The training for culturally and linguistically diverse students is co-ordinated once a year by LSV, Murray High School and the Albury-Wodonga Volunteer Resource Bureau.
AWVRB multicultural settlement worker Diana Elliot said of Monday’s group, two-thirds were refugees from places like Nepal, the Philippines, Thailand and Africa.
“Some can’t swim at all and we have some here that are new to the country, on their first day at school,” she said.
“Quite a few would have never been in the river before and are pretty nervous.
“Some of them have lived in areas where there’s rivers or creeks they can go in, but they don’t realise how fast and dangerous the Murray River can be.”
Ms Elliot said it was crucial new arrivals in the region were equipped with the skills to be safe around water.
“If we didn’t offer this, they may just come down and swim without realising how dangerous it can be,” she said.
“We had a death in the river a couple years ago here, it was an older Afghani refugee.
“We’re trying to prevent anyone going in if they can’t swim.”
There have been two drownings in the North East and one in Wagga since the beginning of December.
Life Saving Victoria program team leader Dylan Griffiths said inland waterways were “some of Australia’s deadliest environments”.
“Typically our program is centred around the beach, however we adapt that with our Respect the River program to teach kids about water safety,” he said.
“We’re up every year around this time and I’ve been up to Albury-Wodonga every year for the last three years.
“The main messages are wear a lifejacket on watercraft and always swim with someone else.
“Submerged objects, inability to see the bottom and the currents are all deadly.
“Our lifesavers may not so much be looking for the deadly animals today, but it’s still a very dangerous environment.”
