In a room of over 130 of her peers, Courtney Murphy, Centre Manager of Gympie Aquatic and Recreation Centre (Gympie ARC), accepted the award for Belgravia Leisure’s Facility of the Year at the Annual Belgravia Leisure Conference on 17July, on behalf of her team and only sixteen months into her role.
Gympie ARC opened its doors in April 2017 and has now flourished into a vibrant community hub, with over 150,000 annual attendances. “It was a highly anticipated opening,” says Courtney. “Locals were really looking forward to having alternative leisure options they could bring their families and have fun.”
Several new program initiatives have been implemented to engage the local community including “Go Mumma” & “Teen Gym Classes” supporting Gympie ARC’s success.
“It’s been a real team effort, from our swim school teachers, lifeguards, health club manager and trainers, we’ve really focused on providing a great customer experience,” says Courtney about their win.
Belgravia Leisure teams across Australia and New Zealand came together to workshop and plan, network and celebrate successes at their annual “Get Connected” Conference over 3 days between 16-18 July at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre.
This was the first year the organisation coincided their conference with the National Sports Convention. The Awards Dinner on the Tuesday evening saw Brooke Hansen, OAM and Olympic gold and silver medallist, entertain the crowd as master of ceremonies.
Australasian 2018 Belgravia Leisure Winners:
SWIM SCHOOL OF THE YEAR AWARD – Bathurst Swim School
HEALTH CLUB OF THE YEAR AWARD – Splash Devonport Health Club
INNOVATION AWARD – Extreme Bathing at Hepburn Bathhouse & Spa
HEALTH & SAFETY AWARD – Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre
COMMUNITY PROGRAM AWARD – Masterton School SAWS Program
COMMUNITY INCLUSION AWARD – Take Charge! program, City of Sydney venues
NZ FACILITY OF THE YEAR – Genesis Huntly
NSW FACILITY OF THE YEAR – Annette Kellerman Aquatic Centre
SA FACILITY OF THE YEAR – The Rex Barossa Fitness Centre
QLD FACILITY OF THE YEAR – Gympie Aquatic Recreation Centre
WA FACILITY OF THE YEAR – Merredin Regional Community Leisure Centre
VIC/TAS FACILITY OF THE YEAR – Ascot Vale Leisure Centre
WELLNESS FACILITY OF THE YEAR – Hepburn Bathhouse & Spa
OVERALL BELGRAVIA LEISURE FACILITY OF THE YEAR! – Gympie Aquatic Recreation Centre in Queensland