Pink Patrol: Celebrating Women in the Aquatics Industry
Published on 23 February 2023
Active Monash centres and staff once again turned pink for our second year of Pink Patrol on Thursday 23 February!
Pink Patrol's mission is to acknowledge, and celebrate, the contributions of women and girls in the aquatics and lifesaving industry. Active Monash values our gender diverse team. We aim to provide opportunities for young women and men to work as lifeguards, swim teachers, or in leadership positions as duty managers, team leaders and coordinators.
In line with our celebrations, throughout the week we interviewed five women within our Aquatics & Operations teams who discussed their experiences, careers and values in the aquatic industry.
As we celebrate their achievements, our hope is that these interviews may inspire other women and girls to pursue a career within the industry. Full interviews are available here.
Maddy
"If you love the water, children or teaching, this is the perfect career for you"
Maddy's career in the aquatics industry started 5 years ago as a swim teacher, focusing on water therapy for people with disabilities or special needs. Over the past 5 years, she has developed her love for the technical side of swimming and has taught babies through to adults how to swim. Maddy now works in a leadership position at Active Monash, as a Team Leader, supporting the 80 staff in the Learn to Swim team by assisting with the facilitation of the swim school. Maddy is passionate about swim teaching, supporting teachers to become more confident and developing opportunities for others. She believes that gender diversity is important for a progressive workplace culture and developing new ideas.
Watch Maddy's full interview here.
Maya's career in the aquatics industry has spanned over 9 years. She originally worked as a swim teacher, inspired by her mum's swim school and 20 years of experience. In the last 6 years, she has worked in the lifesaving industry as a Lifeguard, Senior Lifeguard and Duty Manage. Maya felt the industry to be male dominated when she first started out and has loved watching it become more gender diverse over her career. She loves the opportunities for leadership development, valuable skills, meeting a diverse range of people and how her experiences have helped her believe that anything is possible for women in any industry.
Watch Maya's full interview here.
Isabella
"If you would like to play a special part in people's lives, get involved"
Issy has been working as a Swim Teacher for 4 years now. She has a passion for working with children and increasing cultural and gender diversity by making swimming more accessible, safe and fun. Issy helps run in water classes as a teacher for a range of different age groups and assists with safety out of water as a Pool Deck supervisor. She cherishes the lifelong skills this work has provided her and has enjoyed interacting with a diverse range of people.
Watch Isabella's full interview here.
Lea
"If you have a passion for the community and inclusion, get involved and join the aquatics industry"
Lea began her career in the lifesaving industry 5 years ago, she was drawn to the opportunity to work in a team that respects, and protects, the community. Lea's career started in lifeguarding, but she has progressed to Senior Lifeguard and now works as a Duty Manager. Lea values the community, friendships, skills and opportunities her work in the industry has provided and enjoys seeing familiar faces in centre each shift. She loves being a role model for younger generations and being a representative for diversity within the workforce.
Watch Lea's full interview here.
Lorena
“Go for it!”
Lorena’s career in the aquatics industry has spanned for over 30 years! Lorena branched into aquatics after working as a Health & Fitness manager. She was drawn to the industry through her passion for health, fitness and recreation from a young age, and the ability to offer leisure opportunities for everyone. Lorena currently works as a Duty Manager and Lifeguard, coming toward the tail end of her working career, she values the freedom to choose her own hours and work in a range of different capacities, that lifesaving provides. Lorena believes that lifesaving offers a lot of opportunities for women of all ages, in all levels of their careers, to develop and establish themselves.
Watch Lorena's full video here.