At primary school, every student was given the opportunity to indulge their passion for activity free of charge.

Teachers spent Saturday mornings supervising school teams of hockey, netball, cricket, rugby league and T-ball.

All that mum or dad had to do was drop us off and pick us up.

Equipment was provided by the school and we all wore our school sports uniform.

Nobody was refused the right to play and everyone was given a turn.

It was the same at athletics and swimming carnivals.

It was compulsory for students to attend and no matter how well you ran or could swim, there was always an event for you.

It was about having a go and joining in.

Last week, the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) of Australia released statistics about the increase in drowning deaths, citing the fact that fewer people can swim.

I remember my summer months at school were spent at the swimming pool, with RLSS instructors putting us through our paces to earn various awards and medallions. For those not confident in the water, there was basic swimming instruction.

And in many regional centres, the lessons were funded by the Government, so no child missed out.

Of course, there are still swimming schemes run in the end-of-year programs at primary schools, but more often than not the fees exclude many students who would benefit most, leaving a gaping hole in the safety net around our waterways and swimming centres.

School swimming carnivals these days look pretty empty.

It’s harder to get more than a couple of heats for the basic 50m freestyle in any age group.

High school is just as bad and that camaraderie that was part of a day of fun and friendship at the pool is lacking.

And despite the alarming statistics released last week about the number of children who are drowning, the lack of support from all levels of government to address the problem is alarming.