Jonas Leisure veteran Bryn Whales announces retirement

After almost two decades meeting supporting clients and operators across the aquatic, fitness, recreation and sport industry, Jonas Leisure Sales Manager Bryn Whales will be retiring as of next month.

The popular Sydneysider is retiring in early July, trading meetings, work conferences and business development sessions for sleep ins, a lot more golf and a much-anticipated trip to New Zealand with his wife Jenny.

It’s a big decision for a man who has spent so many years keeping on top of the latest technology trends and helping council’s and leisure operators make the most of Jonas Leisure software.

Throughout the journey, he has spoken to thousands of amazing people, from lifeguards and facility managers to former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd - who once approached him during an event at the National Gallery of Australia to strike up a conversation about Bryn’s colourful bowtie.

Whales explains “one of the highlights of my career has been working with people.

“There are so many passionate people in the leisure industry, and the Jonas Leisure team has been amazing.”

Jonas Leisure Chief Executive Mike Henton says Whales has made an immense contribution to the industry over the years, commenting “Bryn is like a walking Rolodex. He knows a lot of people - a lot of names - and he forms genuine relationships and friendships.

“He’s an authentic guy with real integrity, and he strongly believes in trying to get good results for customers.”

Henton says Bryn’s approach shines through in the way he deals with customers, as well as his willingness to contribute to industry bodies and associations outside of his work with Jonas Leisure. Over the years he has worked closely with the Aquatic and Recreation Institute NSW board and served as a member of the Australian Leisure Facility Association Queensland board.

Whales says working with people who are running swim schools or helping clients to stay fit and healthy and pursue their recreational interests has brought him a lot of satisfaction. Conferences have been a particular highlight, and he’s thrilled the current stage of the Covid-19 pandemic is allowing people from across the industry to come together again.

He added “I enjoy meeting people at conferences and I’ve revelled in the awards dinners. Hearing about the differences people are making and finding out about new approaches and the things people are doing to move the industry forward and make positive impacts on people’s lives is so uplifting.”

Whales recalls that he wanted to get into IT since the age of 10 or 11, when he dreamed of becoming a computer programmer. However, he quickly worked out it was meeting with and dealing with people he enjoyed most, and so he gravitated towards sales and management roles.

His first role was in 1973, when he landed a job as a computer operator with International Computers Ltd. He was operating a 1903T mainframe with a 32kb processor at the time.

As he recalls, those attributes were impressive back then but ara little under-powered by today’s standards.

After 14 years with International Computers he moved to the Computer Power Training Institute, where he stayed for 15 years, becoming Regional Director and successfully managing a team that helped people gain IT qualifications and ultimately careers in all aspects of IT.

In 2003, he became General Manager of a company distributing Apple computers, and then in 2006 joined Centaman as NSW and ACT State Manager.

Centaman has since rebranded as Jonas Leisure and Whales too has continued to adapt and move with the times. In 2009, he became Centaman Sales Manager, and then in 2014, he became Sales Manager for Jonas Leisure - a role he has remained in until today.

His final day on the job is 1st July.

Image: Bryn Whales (left) with Jonas Leisure colleague Dushayant Dhar.