News

Member Success Story – Martin Brett

running success

Running Success Story

G’day my name is Martin Brett; my dream has always been to participate in the Melbourne Marathon by the time I was 40. When I was at school running was something I enjoyed and I was part of the cross-country running team. I started working full-time and running was no longer a priority, however, the dream of completing the Marathon was still alive.

 

Although running wasn’t a priority I did continue playing footy until, on June 3rd 1995, my life completely changed. I was driving on a country road when a car came over a hill in the middle of the road hitting me head- on, with the driver’s side taking all the impact. I ended up in hospital for 2 weeks and unable to walk. I was married in September that same year,  still needing crutches however. During my time in rehabilitation my surgeon informed me – at the age of 27 – I was no longer able to participate in sport which included footy, golf and running. I was even advised to take extra care when walking on uneven ground.

 

Since my rehabilitation I have had 4 more operations, with the last being in 2015 which finally left me feeling pain free. The surgeon said the best form of rehab is to walk and swim so I joined PARC for the hot pool and swimming. Going to the pool regularly and building up my walking distance, I started to then get that competitive feeling back. In October 2016 I went to a friend’s house at about 4pm to her lying on the couch so I asked, “what’s wrong with you?” and her response was “I did the Melbourne Marathon today”. It was at that point I decided, I am going to do that next year!

 

I was told by a friend about ‘Parkrun’ and completed by first 5k event in 40 minutes, walking the whole distance. I have since completed an additional 50 events. Unfortunately I was unable to do the 2017 Marathon as I was still not fit enough. My physio told me the only way I would truly have a chance to participate is by joining the gym and build up my strength. In 2018, I upgraded my PARC membership to a complete membership and started my weight training.

 

Whilst going to the gym I discovered the PARC Fit run club. My fitness has improved so much that I can now complete the 5k in 23 minutes. On October 14th, 2018 – 11 years later than I had hoped – I completed the Melbourne Marathon.

 

Having achieved my dream of completing the Melbourne Marathon, I want to do it again and hopefully some other marathons around Australia. I want to keep running, whether it be 5k at Parkrun, PARC Fit running club or even a triathlon. Having come so far, I just want to stay active.

Share this article

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

Recent articles