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Peninsula Leisure appoints new CEO

Peninsula Leisure has announced the appointment of a new CEO to spearhead the successful operation of Frankston City Council’s much loved aquatic facilities, Peninsula Aquatic Recreation Centre (PARC) and Pines Forest Aquatic Centre.

Katherine Thom, an experienced and senior leader who has made significant contributions within the aquatics, recreation and leisure sector for the past 20 years, was appointed to the role by the Peninsula Leisure Pty Ltd Board after an extensive national recruitment process.

Peninsula Leisure Board Chair, Julie Busch, said that Ms Thom’s experience leading multi-disciplinary workforces within complex and fast-paced environments was the perfect fit for the company, particularly as it builds back up from its COVID closure last year.

“The Board and I were extremely impressed with Katherine’s industry knowledge and enthusiasm for creating, building and maintaining constructive workplace culture coupled with her strong track record of delivering positive outcomes for councils, communities and not-for-profit organisations.

“Katherine has successfully managed large teams, facilities and programming in both NSW and Victoria and applies a long-term, systems-thinking approach to her work which sits alongside her strong passion and commitment for improving the industry and health outcomes for all of our community,” Ms Busch added.

Ms Thom has previously worked for City of Yarra (Yarra Leisure), Life Saving Victoria and Royal Life Saving Society. She has also been a Non-Executive Director for AUSTSWIM for the past two years, is Chair of the AUSTSWIM Advisory Committee in Victoria and was a key member of last year’s Victorian Aquatic Industry Alliance (VAIA), advocating for the safe re-opening of the industry.

Peninsula Leisure Pty Ltd is a subsidiary company wholly owned by Council and charged with the management of PARC and Pines Forest Aquatic Centre.

Frankston City Council CEO, Phil Cantillon, said: “We’re looking forward to working with Katherine and believe she will be a great asset to the Peninsula Leisure team.

“Her expertise and reputation within the industry was notably what made her a stand out candidate. We wish her all the best with the role,” Mr Cantillon said.

Ms Thom has contributed to panels, workshops and working groups within aquatics, recreation, lifesaving and Local Government for many years. She has also grown a strong professional network that connects to the grass roots of the industry.

Ms Thom added: “I’m greatly looking forward to the opportunity to work with such a strong and dynamic team at Peninsula Leisure and to build on the successes of both facilities for Frankston and surrounding communities.”

Peninsula Leisure is committed to providing quality sports, recreation and leisure products and services with a focus on community engagement and innovation alongside a reputation for delivering exceptional service.

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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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