Acknowledging those most dedicated in aquatics at the WA ARI Awards
Tuesday June 27, 2023, marked the second annual WA Aquatic Recreation Industry Awards at The Hyatt Regency in Perth City.
A cold and early start to the morning was soon forgotten when the coffee, pastries and hot breakfast spread came out provided by resident hosts, the Leisure Institute of Western Australia Aquatics (LIWA).
The event was in partnership and sponsored by Royal Life Saving WA, the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries and the Water Corporation.
The awards celebrated the hard work of various aquatic organisations, pools, and individuals who continue to uphold best practice whilst harnessing innovation throughout their work.
It was a busy morning for Armadale Fitness & Aquatic Centre which took home four out of six organisational awards.
Two new awards were added to the agenda, Swim Teacher of the Year and Swim School of the Year, won by Louise Scott from Beatty Park Leisure Centre and Wanneroo Aquamotion respectively.
Gone but not forgotten, a tribute was made to the late John Robertson, founder of LIWA, however, his offsider, friend and co-founder Fred Smith attended at 95 years of age.
The Smith Robertson Award named in their honour is awarded to a member of the aquatic industry highlighting their ongoing and outstanding commitment.
This year’s recipient, Leanne Coverley-Brandis, has been in the industry for close to 40 years, holding many different roles throughout her time including trainer, mentor, coach and pool operator to name a few.
She has taught over 10,000 students and 1,000 courses as well as many more before Royal Life Saving WA introduced an electronic database!
Leanne has always been passionate about training and participation in aquatics, crediting Royal Life Saving WA and LIWA for allowing her to undertake regional training and networking opportunities.
Leanne said she hopes to "keep helping people in the metro and regional areas to stay in what can be a very rewarding industry and thanks to all those people that have helped achieve that.”
Thank you to everyone that attended this year’s awards and congratulations to all the nominees and winners. We hope to see you soon at the LIWA Conference in August, if you still need to register, follow the link below.
The WA Aquatic Recreation Industry Awards results were:
Organisational Awards
• Marketing and Communications Award – Armadale Fitness & Aquatic Centre (City of Armadale)
• Sustainability Award – Armadale Fitness & Aquatic Centre (City of Armadale)
• Community Impact Award – Port Hedland Leisure (Summer Free Entry Program)
• Aquatic Facility Safety Award – Armadale Fitness & Aquatic Centre (City of Armadale)
• Swim School of The Year – Wanneroo Aquamotion (City of Wanneroo)
• Watch Around Water Facility of The Year – Armadale Fitness & Aquatic Centre (City of Armadale)
Individual Awards
• Pool Lifeguard of the year – John Everitt (HBF Arena – Venueswest)
• Regional Aquatic Technical Operator of the year – Stephen Waterman (Warmun Community Pool)
• Metro Aquatic Technical Operator of the year – Isabel Franzoni (HBF Arena – Venueswest)
• Emerging Leader of The Year – Jordan Caffery (Armadale Fitness & Aquatic Centre)
• Swim Teacher of The Year – Louise Scott (Beatty Park Leisure Centre)
• Smith Robertson Award – Leanne Coverley-Brandis
Industry Services Award recipients
10 years of service
• Alexander Parker
• Anna Jamieson
• Anthony Dos Santos
• Belinda Parker
• Brett McEwin
• Chiara Philipoff
• Clifford Brough
• Corey Bessant
• Daniel Cools
• David Holloway
• Gregg Tidboald
• Natascha Siebert
• Stephen O’Hare
• Simone Lockyer
20 years of service
• Michael Gosatti
• Cameron Lakstins
• Sarah Manson
• Joshua Koontz
• Diane Rickard
• Gavin R-Bunbury
• Nicole Little
• James Gibson
• Sandy Rodgers
• Steve Girschik
30 years of service
• Glenn Paddick
• Jon Tapper
• Andre Tion
40 years of service
• Joanne Pedley
• David Moore
• John Beard
45 years of service
• David Parish