Petra Majchrak named Life Saving SA employee of the Year

The Parks Recreation and Sports Centre Swimming Lessons Director, Petra Majchrak, was announced as the 2021 Life Saving South Australia (LSSA) Pool Employee of the Year last Thursday (2 September).

The annual LSSA awards recognise and acknowledge outstanding dedication and excellence across all aspects of the South Australia aquatics industry.

Petra’s dedication to ensuring children are ‘water safety ready’ early in their lives, saw The Parks Learn to Swim program enrolments grow from 515 in July 2020, to 870 in March 2021, despite the ongoing COVID-19 emergency. Highlights of Petra’s work and commitment include:

• Collaboration with Department for Education, YMCA LEAP aquatics and the Xlent disability program, to ensure The Parks facility is available and accessible to vulnerable community members
• Acting as the YMCA’s contact for the management and delivery of the VACSWIM SA program and leading the organisation’s response to the broader program initiatives across SA
• Providing first-hand knowledge and understanding of the large CALD community that access the centre, in particular around issues of water safety – Petra is a first generation Australian and English is actually her second language

In accepting her award, Petra said it was a huge honour and paid tribute to management and staff at The Parks Recreation and Sports Centre.

“I am grateful and humbled to accept this amazing award and I wouldn’t have received it without the support of (manager) Craig Hortin and the amazing team at The Parks,” she said.

“I would like to thank YMCA SA for giving me the opportunity to work for such an amazing organisation. As an immigrant it was hard for me to find a workplace where I belonged, but the YMCA opened their doors and I will be forever grateful for that.”

Petra has worked tirelessly to raise awareness of safety in and around water inside the centre, while demonstrating drive and commitment to promoting the water safety message to all segments of the local and wider Adelaide community.