Emerton Leisure Centre

2008 NSW Sports Safety Awards Winner

Emerton Leisure Centre was awarded the 2008 NSW Sports Safety Award for Outstanding Education and Promotion of Safe Sports Practices at the NSW Sports Safety Awards on Friday, November 14, 2008.

The award recognises Emerton Leisure Centres achievements in the Waterwise Indigenous Aquatic Education Project. The project is a water safety initiative designed to improve and engage the health and wellbeing of the local Indigenous community.

Implemented over the past 16 months the centre identified three core principles to use as the focus for the implementation of an ongoing series of programs and services. These principles included Partnerships; Community Interaction and Engagement and Education.

The Aquatic education project included:

• Step Up Indigenous Pool Lifeguard Program
• Remote Pool Health and Leadership Exchange Pilot Program
• RLSSA Indigenous Scholarship
• Junaya for families - Garrallong Aboriginal Young mums and bubs swim program
• Indigenous Academy Learn to Swim program
• Cross Cultural Awareness and Relationship Training
• Centre program initiatives
• Promotion and Engagement

The NSW Sports Safety Awards are coordinated by the NSW government to recognise outstanding achievement in the research and prevention of sports related injuries and the adoption of safe sport practices. The NSW Sports Safety Awards are fundamental component of the governments legislative responsibility to increase awareness of sporting injuries as well as encourage sports practices and research that reduce the risk and impact of such injuries in NSW.

The awards provide a wonderful opportunity to recognise and honour those people and organisations who contribute to making sport in New South Wales safer.

The centre was also successful in winning this award in 2006 for its "Safe Waters Initiative' program.

This most recent award is the third for the centre this year after successfully winning the True Local Business Award in July and the NSW Small Swim School of the Year Award in September.

For more information on our Swim school program please contact the Centre on 9628 7016 or visit www.elc.blacktown.nsw.gov.au.