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Bright future for PARC Employee, Kirsty

GETTING up every day to go to work was something Frankston’s Kirsty Biswas thought she might never have the opportunity to do.

But the 22-year-old, who has overcome long-term unemployment and now works as a membership sales consultant at Peninsula Aquatic Recreation Centre in Frankston, said her life is back on track.

“I feel like a weight has been lifted off my chest. Now I can function and feel normal, and have a life for myself and my son, and hopefully his father too,” she said.

Ms Biswas is one of more than 160 young people in the Frankston-Mornington Peninsula region who have been given a hand to get job ready through a Brotherhood of St Laurence program that started 12 months ago.

Like many parents, Kirsty said she struggled to get back into the workforce after becoming a mother. When her son, Kayden, turned five months, Kirsty – who had been on maternity leave – tried to return to her old full-time job, but it was not available.

She had also separated from Kayden’s father, and things started to go downhill fast.

That’s until she was referred to the Creating Futures for Youth program, run by the Brotherhood at its High St centre in Frankston, and funded by the Citi Foundation – the philanthropic arm of global bank, Citi.

Citi Australia’s head of corporate affairs, Guy Matthews, said giving young people job skills was essential in securing sustainable employment.

Transition to Work manager Nick Orchard said the 85 businesses involved had found the participant-focused approach of Creating Futures refreshing.

“They’re excited by the vision of the program, and the ability to get involved,” he said.

“As well as providing employment opportunities, businesses have been hungry to facilitate hands-on learning sessions and work-experience placements to help young people gain invaluable experience in their industry.”

Peninsula Aquatic Recreation Centre manager Simon Beqir said he would recommend other local employers get on board.

“After meeting Kirsty it was clear she was a great match for this role. Her passion for the fitness industry is infectious.”

First published in the Frankston Times – 17 October 2016

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Three weeks of PARC Reformer 😱

WOW time flies when you're having fun! It's been 3 weeks since we opened the doors to our brand new PARC Reformer Studio and we have loved hearing how much you're all enjoying the new space! 

It's great to see our PARC community making the most of the new reformer studio and trying out all the amazing new features including the Virtual and On-demand options to fit in with busy schedules. 

Thanks for your patience as we worked through some booking challenges in the first few days. Want to try it for yourself? bookings are open via the Xplor App or Customer Portal.

After more info? Check out our PARC Reformer Studio website page via the link in bio

Keep the momentum going and make PARC Reformer a regular part of your routine. We’ll see you in the Studio soon!

#PARCfrankston #PARCReformer
Thank you Rotary Peninsula 2.0 & the 2025 Rotary Birth tree 🌳

The Rotary Peninsula 2.0 Birth Tree helps to raise funds for swim programs in our community, with $45 of every contribution going straight back to PARC and PINES to help more children build confidence in the water. 

Registrations for the Birth Tree are now available for all babies born in 2025. 

For more information or if you would like to register your child for the 2025 Rotary Birth Tree please head to the website. Link in bio

#PARCFrankston #RotaryPeninsula2_0 #Birthtree #morepeoplecanswim
Important Centre Update 

Closure Notice: The 50m Pool will be closed from Monday 30 June – Sunday 27 July.

We are undertaking significant tiling and improvement works in the Main 50m Pool. This means that the Main 50m Pool will be closed from Monday 30 June – Sunday 27 July (4 week closure period). 

What services are impacted? 
• CLOSED: Over the period, the 50m pool will be closed. 
• OPEN: All other aquatic facilities will remain open, including the Learn to Swim Pool, Warm Water Pool Hall, Waterslides and Aquatic Playground. Importantly, this means that PARC Swim lessons in the 50m pool will not run. 
 
To learn more about these planned works and how the closure impact you, please visit our website via link in bio
If you would like to suspend your membership for the closure period, you can do so via our website, link in bio
 
Suspensions used will not go towards members’ allowable suspensions and won’t impact the suspensions rules. 

We appreciate your understanding and patience as we work to enhance your PARC experience with these important upgrades.

#PARCFrankston
Aquatic Playground Closure 🛠 
 
The Aquatic playground will be closed for planned maintenance from Tuesday 17 June to Tuesday 24 June. 
 
This maintenance requires the playground to be dry in order to be repaired. The Learn to Swim, Toddler pool and Waterslides are still available for your enjoyment. 
 
We hope to reopen the Aquatic Playground in full on 24 June. 
 
We apologise for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding. 

#PARCFrankston #Aquaticplayground
PARC Cafe staff attempted the Ice Chocolate challenge and it got messy. 😂

Who had the best technique and who caved under the cold? You decide! 👇

Kynen - ❤️, Maddy - 👍, Maya - 😂 or Bella - 😲

Vote below who you think is the Ice Chocolate Champion! 🏆

#PARCFrankston #PARCCafe #IceChocolateChallenge #StaffShowdown #VoteYourChampion #CafeFun
Our industry awards night is tonight! 🌟🏆

The Aquatic and Recreation Victoria Industry Awards recognise outstanding achievement and commitment to the industry. This year our facilities and many of our wonderful staff have been nominated for their contributions, and all of the hard work they do for our community.

Peninsula Leisure are finalists for the following awards:

Facility Management Award (Large) – PARC
Facility Management Award (Seasonal) – PINES
Sustainability Award – PARC
Community Impact Award – Peninsula Leisure 
Group Exercise Instructor Award – Belinda Butterfield
Membership Sales Award – Clair Porter
Personal Trainer/Gym Instructor Award – Nic Hough
Swim Teacher Award (General) – Ellie Spasevski

Good luck to all our finalists, thank you for all the work you do, we can't wait to share the night with you all! 

#PARCFrankston #ARVindustryawards #goodluck #Finalists2025

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