Leisurelink swim to prestigious award

THE City of Greater Geelong’s commitment to water safety has been recognised with a prestigious state surf lifesaving crown.

Leisurelink Aquatic and Recreation Centre claimed the prestigious ‘Swim and Survive Partner of the Year’ award at the recent 2023 Life Saving Victoria awards ceremony in Melbourne.

The award win highlighted Leisurelink’s outstanding dedication to making swimming accessible and engaging for a diverse range of participants from the Greater Geelong region.

Leisurelink’s Webstar’s Swim School is among the biggest in Australia, with over 4,400 students enrolled in weekly lessons, and another 5,500 local students taking part in school lessons.

The venue also conducts swimming lessons for Deakin University’s international students and has identified a need to reach new residents unfamiliar with local waterways, beaches and the fundamentals of swim safety.

Mayor Trent Sullivan said the award was wonderful recognition for the City’s swimming programs.

“Leisurelink has long demonstrated a proactive and community-focused approach to promoting water safety and swimming skills.

“There’s no doubt this has led to it having a meaningful and positive impact for a lot of people of all ages within the local community.”

Sport and Leisure Aquatic Program Specialist, Jacqui Wurf said Leisurelink offered much more to the community than just swimming lessons.

“We focus on supporting our students to progress through the Swim and Survive levels and strive to achieve high community engagement with a safety around water focus.

“Our students also have access to unlimited swimming before and after their lessons to continue to practice what they have learned in their lessons and have reciprocal access to six, soon to be seven, centres as part of their membership.”

Since the pandemic, the City’s Sport and Leisure team has helped to fund training for 87 new teachers and appointing over 100 local people to roles within the program.