Queensland aquatic facility achievement recognised at ALFAQ awards

Excellence in Queensland’s aquatic and recreation facility sector was recognised at the first Australian Leisure Facilities Association Queensland (ALFAQ) Awards last night.

Acknowledging standout achievements and commitment to excellence, three Awards were presented during the ALFAQ session at the Aquafutures International Conference at Peppers Noosa Resort and Villas.

Following on from having secured the Excellence in Aquatic Safety - Public Messaging and Education award in Royal Life Saving Society - Australia (RLSSA)’s inaugural National Aquatic Industry Safety Awards, the Milne Bay and Highfields Aquatic and Fitness Centre in Toowoomba was the recipient of the inaugural Jonas Leisure Facility of the Year Award.

Commenting on the Award, Jonas Leisure National Sales Manager Bryn Whales congratulated the facility on standing out from a field of “extremely high calibre” nominations, stating “the team at Milne Bay has done a fantastic all-round job this year.

“They have an outstanding water safety programme and their commitment to their community and staff is particularly impressive. A lot of the other finalists were doing amazing things, and it does Queensland’s facilities great credit to see the benchmark set at such a high level.”

Other award finalists included Kawana Aquatic Centre on the Sunshine Coast, which was noted for its versatility and strong elite sports program; Brisbane’s Yeronga Park Pool shone for its outstanding community programs; while Newmarket Olympic Pool, also in Brisbane, stood out thanks to technological and design improvements which led to a large increase in visitor numbers over the year.

Whales said the Facility of the Year Award recognised best practice in the operation of aquatic facilities, and Jonas Leisure was proud to work with ALFAQ to support the sector.

The award was accepted by Andrew Tollputt of Toowoomba Regional Council.

ALFAQ President Dan Kwaczynski said the annual awards were introduced to recognise the hard-working people and organisations behind Queensland’s aquatic and recreation facilities for the opportunities they provide for people to get active and enjoy themselves.

Kwaczynski stated “Queensland has great aquatic facilities and outstanding individuals devoted to the industry. Unlike other states, we previously lacked industry recognition for these facilities and individuals. The Board of ALFA Queensland introduced the awards to address this.”

The first Orimatech Award for Excellence was also awarded at the event, recognising outstanding levels of individual career achievement.

The award went to Shelley Douyere, currently responsible for several of Queensland’s pools as Managing Director of Multi-Level Sports.

Kwaczynski said this accolade was well deserved, citing longstanding work with local communities to encourage greater participation and develop aquatics programs for everyone from beginners to elite athletes.

Heath Rackley of City Venue Management was the other finalist for this award, which was presented by John Davie of Orimatech.

Kwaczynski commented “over an amazing 40-year career, Shelley has developed learn to swim programs across the board and instigated a number of targeted programs to include and build confidence in people outside of the main stream – for example refugees, mature aged and parents of under six-month-old babies. She deserves recognition for these achievements.”

Images: The Milne Bay and Highfields Aquatic and Fitness Centre (top), Bryn Whales of Jonas Leisure with award recipients Zoe Crowther and Andrew Tollputt (middle) and Dan Kwaczynski (below).

14th August 2017 - ALFA QUEENSLAND TO STAGE LEARNING SESSION AT AQUAFUTURES CONFERENCE

11th August 2017 - WATER SAFETY EDUCATION MESSAGE SECURES ROYAL LIFE SAVING AWARD FOR MILNE BAY AQUATIC CENTRE

10th August 2017 - LAURIE LAWRENCE AND JULIE ZANCANARO TO BE INDUCTED INTO INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING HALL OF FAME 

31st July 2017 - ALFA QUEENSLAND LAUNCHES INAUGURAL INDUSTRY AWARDS 

25th July 2017 - SWIM SCHOOLS INVITED TO BACK CHILD SAFETY INITIATIVE 

9th June 2017 - AQUAFUTURES TO DELIVER A NEW AQUATIC INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE 

3rd March 2017 - VISITS TO SUNSHINE COAST COUNCIL’S AQUATIC CENTRES IMPROVE WELLBEING 

1st September 2016 - DAN KWACZYNSKI TAKES ON ALFA QUEENSLAND PRESIDENCY 

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