• VIC/TAS

VIC/TAS Year in Review 2023/24

  • November 04, 2024
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Events + PD

Looking back, wow it’s been a big year! Sector development is at the heart of what we do and the Vic/Tas region is proud to have delivered such a diversity of events and activities that saw more than 1,100 attendees engage across the year with more than 56% female representation… 

  • We kicked things off with a Sector on Show: Seniors Exercise Parks with partners Lark Industries on site at Carrington Seniors Exercise Park. Attendees heard from National Ageing Research Institute researchers, staff from Knox City Council and a Falls Prevention Physiotherapist from EACH to explore the importance of creating environments that promote active, healthy and social senior communities. 
  • Then we had the pleasure of heading over to the Apple Isle for a few days as we hosted Tasmania Sector Seminars in both Launceston and Hobart. We heard from government representatives Active Tasmania, field of play experts SPORTENG, local construction providers The Baker Group, and the AFL. Overall a wonderful time in Tassie and a great opportunity for to workshop new ideas for professional development in the state.  
  • We supported partners Outdoors Victoria in hosting two forums with Tim Gill on active spaces for young people 
  • Our ever popular Leadership Program was back, this year facilitated by Cameron Schwab from DesignCEO, with special guest CEO’s Fiona Blair from Brimbank City Council and Cathy Henderson from Merri-bek City Council. 
  • We were thrilled to celebrate Parks Week with a Parks Forum exploring the ‘Design and Development of La Trobe Sports Park’ with speakers from La Trobe Sport and Banyule City Council, along with a facilitated discussion on Parks and Open Space Maintenance from event partners SPORTENG and Green By Nature. 
  • And we rounded out the in person events with a Playspace Award Bus Tour with our partners at Lark Industries where we explored a range of our 2024 Playspace Award of Excellence category nominees.  

To complement our in person events, we continued our commitment to providing FREE online webinars for members to continue to engage and learn without the barriers of cost and travel. This included a series of ‘Industry Talk’ webinars exploring various Award Winners and interesting topics: 

  • BMX and MTB Strategy with 2023 Strategic Planning Award winner @leisure + Mornington Peninsula Shire Council 
  • Data in the Park with 2023 Best Use of Technology Award winner City of Melbourne 
  • Innovation in Engaging With CALD with 2023 Community Based Initiative of the Year Award winner Vitoria University, Western Bulldogs Community Foundation and Maribyrnong City Council 

And our popular ‘Rec+ Research’ webinars were back, bringing academic research straight to practitioners: 

Thanks to all who joined us for the relaunch of the Open Space Planners Network (OSPN). After being on hold during the pandemic we were proud to relaunch the network, meet with industry colleagues and explore recent research and projects in the open space sector including: The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action’s Guide for Open Space Strategies and Integrated Place Managment Framework; and Macedon Ranges Shire Council’s Community Assembly for Open Space Strategy and their Romsey Ecotherapy Park project.  

We also continued to support the Melbourne Park Managers Forum with online catch ups and in person events throughout the year.  

Conference + Awards 

Of course, we can’t forget the cornerstone of our events calendar… We were back bigger and better than ever as we headed to the heart of Melbourne at Marvel Stadium for our 2024 Regional Conference and Awards of Excellence. With a record 500+ attendance, we had a huge few days of networking, knowledge sharing and exploring the best our industry has to offer as we celebrated the PEOPLE behind the PLACES. We kicked things off with a behind the scenes stadium tour and welcome reception, before two full days and 12+ hours of content across 3 diverse streams. A big thankyou to our conference sponsors Green Life Group, Syngenta, Brand Architects, Matta, SPORTENG, Green By Nature and Golf Australia, along with the 22 trade exhibitors who made the event such a success. 

The 2024 PLA VIC/TAS Awards of Excellence Gala Dinner was held in the Victory Room at Marvel Stadium. Hosted by leading tennis commentator and broadcaster Brett Phillips, we hope you enjoyed the night as much as we did celebrating the outstanding initiatives and innovative efforts of our industry. A special thanks to Christie Barbecues as our event sponsor, and each of the individual award category sponsors. A huge congratulations to all the exceptional nominees, and to our winners who proceed to the National Awards of Excellence.

Sponsors 

We were thrilled to announce the renewal of our region partnership agreement with both Green by Nature and SPORTENG for a further year. This renewed partnership signifies a shared commitment and vision for the future of the Parks & Leisure Industry. We look forward to combining our expertise and resources to advance the industry and make a positive impact on the people and places we serve.  

Advocacy + Sector Development

PLA (Vic/Tas) led the review of the Outdoor Fitness Equipment Guidelines, with funding support from Sport and Recreation Victoria (SRV) to ensure that they remain valuable and contemporary resources for industry professionals. University of South Australia were engaged to deliver a comprehensive literature review and Emerge Associates were engaged as project consultants to help deliver the Guidelines review. We wanted to extend a big thankyou to all who volunteered their time as sector representatives on the Project Working Group and Stakeholder Reference Group. 

Furthermore, the Region participated in several activities to further promote and add value to the sector including, but not limited to: 

  • Participated in research on a Horticulture Centre of Excellence project with Nursery and Garden Institute Victoria 
  • Member of project reference group for the ENJOY seniors exercise equipment research project led by National Ageing Research Institute 
  • Participated in SRV’s Community Sport Workforce Development Strategy, Together More Active Program Evaluation, and Get Active Conversation 
  • Member of industry reference group for VicHealth 
  • Letters of Support for funding/grant applications led by Deakin University, La Trobe University, and National Ageing Research Institute 
Region Council

None of this could have happened without our Region Council’s strong leadership. We’d like to extend a huge thank you to current President Rachel Thorpe and Vice President Grant Greenway who finish their term this year and will be stepping away from the Region Council after years of tireless effort! Whilst we bid farewell to Jo Massoud, Jamye Grossman, Rod Clark, and Stephanie Ristevska who have recently relinquished their roles as co-opted members. We can’t thank each one of you for your tireless work ethic and willingness to volunteer your time to support our industry. A big welcome to Ben Manning and Alli Coombe who joins the Region Council, and Mel Pratt, Jo Hansen, and Amy Walker who joined as co-opted members during the year.