Greenhead resident Colin Hassell’s work to prevent drowning recognised with Medal of the Order of Australia

Greenhead resident Colin Hassell is the recipient of one of Australia’s highest honours, but says the real reward is spreading the message about the importance of water safety.

Mr Hassell is one of 472 people nationwide who were awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia on Monday . The honour recognises his decades of work campaigning for water safety. He said the medal came as a “big surprise” and was “very humbling”.

“I do this . . . because we don’t want to see young people and adults drown. Simple as that, if we can put programs together and put our life’s passion into it, end of the day, I think I’ve done something maybe worthwhile,” he said.

The 77-year-old has been on the board of Royal Life Saving Society Western Australia since 1999, and served as president between 2017 and 2021.

Mr Hassell describes himself as “just ordinary person” whose passion for water safety started while growing up in London.

He and his brother were part of a local lifesaving association, in an area where several people drowned in rivers and waterways.

“We set up a lifeguard club and started getting passionate about trying to make a difference,” he said.

“I began swimming teaching, actually to help promote that, and then specialised into teaching children with special needs, because they also deserve exactly the same sort of support.”

Mr Hassell said some of his most impactful experiences were working with children who had special needs as a result of near-drowning.

He moved to Australia in 1984, where he has since engaged in self-described “weird and wacky” safety campaigns, including transporting a swimming pool on the back of a truck from Geraldton to Sydney in 2004.

“A team of friends and I got together and raised a lot of awareness and interest,” he said.

“We built the pool so it looked like a backyard swimming pool . . . with fencing round, and lifeguard there and all that sort of business.”

Mr Hassell has devoted time to safety campaigns in regional communities, where drowning rates are nearly three times higher than in metropolitan areas.

His passion for the community extends to caring for our most vulnerable members, as a long-time volunteer providing help to elderly and disabled people.

The Australia Day Honours List’s Order of Australia Medal recognises “outstanding service or exceptional achievement”.

“The qualities and accomplishments of this year’s honourees reflect Australia’s values for service, community, kindness, curiosity, tenacity and care,” Governor-General Sam Mostyn said.

“So many Australians continue to give the best of themselves across many endeavours, in the interest of others.”

A total of 949 Australians have been recognised for their outstanding and selfless work, 200 more than last year. There are four categories in the Order of Australia honours, and Mr Hassell’s medal highlights “service worthy of particular recognition”.

Mr Hassell recognises that it is impossible to completely stop drownings, but every life saved is “priceless”.

Mr Hassell is retired, but has recently been appointed as a councillor to the Shire of Coorow, representing the coastal region.