LIWA Aquatics 2010 Country Seminar

This year's country seminar was held in the Great Southern Region of the state at the Katanning Leisure Centre.  The location, venue and the interaction between the delegates ensured that this year's conference was one of the most successful country conferences ever conducted.  Some delegates travelled some great distances but Steve Girschik won the frequent flyer award for attending the seminar from the Warbutron Community via a flight from Alice Springs to Perth and then a drive to Katanning.  It was also great to see a number of metropolitan managers attending with their staff to ensure they access relevant professional development in line with the Code of Practice.

The day was opened by the President of LIWA Aquatics Jeff Fondacaro who welcomed delegates, presenters and trade supporters to the venue.  Jeff stressed the need for "maintaining the network" and thanked the delegates for taking the time to attend today's seminar.  He also discussed the requirement of accreditation for all managers and his hope to further grow the Watch Around Water Program to have every facility in the state running the program within the next few years.

Jeff Fondacaro presenting Bill Livingstone his 20 year Achievement  Award

The Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Shire of Katanning Mr Carl Beck then welcomed the delegates on behalf of the community and provided some background into the redevelopment of the aquatic facility.  Carl was determined to see the facility developed to a very high standard and the Shire is very proud of what has been achieved in Katanning.  After Carl's welcome the delegates had an opportunity to visit the newly refurbished facility and hear first hand from the manager Graeme Pollett.

Also on hand at the new facility to meet the delegates were the pool builders Wetdeck Pty Ltd, the hydraulic consultant Brian Beech and the company who installed the solar heating.  After a presentation by Graeme on the redevelopment and the current operation of the facility the delegates spent the next 45 minutes in and out of the plant room and on the pool deck.  One very interesting issue came to light concerning a Health Department requirement that saw additional toilets installed but then locked and the area used as a store area.  Apart from the upfront capital cost there is an annual fee charged by the Water Corporation for each WC on the facility.

Maurice, Elle and JJ

After a great country style morning tea of homemade scones and sausage rolls the delegates then reconvened for the first of three mid morning presentations.  The first presentation was by LIWA Aquatics Vice President Chris Blankley and was designed to get delegates thinking about all the tasks and requirements that they need to be prepared for if there is a death or some other type of critical incident at their facility.  Most have not really analysed all the required aspects and it is hoped that this presentation will prompt everyone to review their emergency procedures for this summer.

The Water Corporations Steve Atkinson then provided delegates with an update of the current sub metering project that is being undertaken in a number of aquatic facilities across the state.  The one key issue that our industry must accept as a given is that water is going to become more expensive and if there is another winter like 2010 then water is going to be in short supply.  Steve urged all the delegates to look at the areas that they are able to have an influence over including, irrigation, backwash cycles and change room facilities to ensure they are as water efficient as possible.

As a part the Water Corporations commitment to the industry Steve organised to provide up to $1000 worth of remedial work and assistance to one of the pools who attended the seminar.  The Shire of York was the winner and Steve will work with facility manager Bill Livingstone and the Shire to assist them in their initial attempts to reduce water usage at the aquatic facility.

The delegates were then straight into a workshop with the three discussions being run simultaneously with each group swapping after 15 minutes.  The topics include;

• how to maintain healthy filters
• maintenance and servicing of pumps
• chemical storage and handling

A great deal of thanks to Greg Jones from Chadson Engineering, Ed Mordaski from Sigma Chemicals and Brian Beech for preparing and delivering their presentations to the delegates at this year's seminar.

The banquet provided by the Shire of Katanning for lunch was nothing short of amazing and was by far the best food ever presented at one of the country seminars.  It was also a great opportunity to catch up and chat with everyone from across the south west and beyond.  We are very lucky to have so many great managers, many with 30 years or more experience working in rural Western Australia.  After lunch it was time to "turn the critters loose" with Vanessa from Bush Wisdom.  The session started well but it was when Vanessa opened the snake box the fun really started with several delegates trying to leave the room with some grace.  Vanessa provided the perfect mix of factual and hands on ideas in helping us all deal with unwanted guests around our facilities.

A nervous Justin and Friend

The opportunity for the delegates to hold onto snakes and lizards was a first for many and was a chance to better understand some the more common snakes we may find and how they should be treated.  I am sure I speak for everyone in saying it was a great deal of fun as well as an educational session delivered by Vanessa.

The rest of the afternoon was broken down into a range of short presentations that provided the latest information to the delegates and included updates on the following:

• Developing operating documents
• Power outage and suitable clothing for the aquatic environment
• The LIWA Aquatics Accreditation process
• Industry research and development
• Watch Around Water

After a much needed afternoon tea the final wrapping up of the day was conducted by Chris Blankley.  Chris was able to get everyone in the room to give a status report on what was happening at their pool and what was planned for the future.  It is a great way to finish the day and highlights the diversity of pools we have across the state.

On behalf of LIWA Aquatics I would like to thank our major sponsors, the Department of Sport and Recreation, Miracle Recreation, Orica, the Royal Life Saving Society, the Shire of Katanning and Chadson Engineering for their wonderful support in bringing this event together.  It is a great example of how our industry can work together and maintain the network.

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