Photo courtesy of: Photography by Design

Belgravia Leisure’s National Disability and Diversity Manager, Associate Professor Jeff Walkley, has won the Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s Victorian Disability Awards.

Dr Walkley’s ground-breaking movement and sport skills research has shaped children’s sports development, school physical education and sport programs across Australia. He earned the title ‘The Father of Fundamental Movement Skills’ (FMS) from his passion to achieve widespread recognition for the importance of motor skills in childhood development for future participation in sport.

His highly published research and evidence-backed lobbying lead to State and Federal Governments committing to fund programs in Victorian schools that was led by Dr Walkley. This success was replicated in New South Wales, which in turn gave impetus to other states.

By the late 1990s, all Victorian school children were benefitting from Dr Walkley’s FMS learnings which were enshrined in the State’s physical education curriculum. Over the next seven years, FMS was embedded in every Australian State and Territory curriculum.

Today, the Belgravia Leisure community continues to benefit from Dr Walkley’s expertise. He leads a team of over 40 Inclusion Coordinators who share Dr Walkley’s passion to connect people with a disability to sport and leisure through our national access and inclusion program.