2019 Recreation SA and Parks & Leisure SA/NT State Conference

On 9 May, Recreation SA in partnership with Parks and Leisure Australia SA/NT successfully hosted the 2019 SA Recreation, Parks and Leisure Conference at the newly built sports hub at Campbelltown Memorial Oval. The conference was titled Building Community Wellbeing and focused on opportunities to discuss and explore the ways in which parks, leisure and recreation contribute to community wellbeing. The conference also aimed at presenting new and innovative concepts, ideas and theories to test and share with colleagues.

Targeted speaker sessions provided practical information and advice that assisted delegates to better understand and implement strategies for building community wellbeing through their facilities and programs.

More than 120 delegates, presenters, sponsors and trade exhibitors attended the conference and it was pleasing to see the event well supported across the industry. The conference is a leading professional development opportunity for people working in the recreation sector.

Honourable Vincent Tarzia MP, Speaker of the House of Assembly, Member for Hartley represented Honourable Corey Wingard, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing, and opened the conference and included the Acknowledgement of Country.  Ms Katrine Hildyard MP, Shadow Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing was also in attendance. Prominent Channel 9 sports reporter, Tom Rehn was the master of ceremonies for the conference and presented the awards to the respective winners.

Keynote speakers

The conference highlights included the two keynote speakers who were well-received by the delegates:

Kris Massie

Inspiring you to achieve more.

Kris is the director of ChiPT and a holistic personal trainer and wellness coach, His engaging talk was focussed on daily rituals to invoke wellness for personal and community benefit. His personal story was evidence of the impact and benefit of wellness in changing lives.

Roger Rasheed

Using sport as a medicine to save lives

Roger’s passion for helping others is evident in his philanthropic foundation, the Roger Rasheed Sports Foundation. He spoke about how sport can be a major player in changing cultural behaviour behaviour and pathways in extreme disadvantaged communities, a tool that needs to be taken seriously and heavily invested in.

Conference themes

The conference consisted of six unique themes with twelve presenters:

2018/2019 Recreation SA Awards

Each year at the Recreation Parks and Leisure conference we celebrate member organisations and individuals who make an outstanding contribution to the recreation sector in South Australia. These awards celebrate the achievements of committed professionals and forward-thinking organisations who dedicate considerable time and effort to improving the recreation sector in South Australia.

The two winners this year demonstrated outstanding leadership, innovation and a strong commitment to increasing the profile and participation of active recreation in South Australia.

2018/2019 Recreation SA Watch Around Water Award

Winner: YMCA South Australia, Port Lincoln Leisure Centre

This award serves to encourage registered Watch Around Water centres to promote the program’s water safety messages beyond the marketing tools beyond the marketing tools provided by Recreation SA. In this award, Recreation SA, ClubsSA and Nine News Adelaide look for creativity and innovation in delivery of these key messages to a maximum audience within each registered centre’s local and extended community.  This year the winner was the YMCA South Australia, Port Lincoln Leisure Centre.

2018/2019 Recreation SA Person, Place or Program Award

Winner: City of Unley & Surf Life Saving SA Ride the Wave Program

This award is for a person, place or program who has made a significant contribution to recreation in South Australia. This year the winner was the City of Unley & Surf Life Saving SA Ride the Wave Program.

Conference Partners and Sponsors