Ballina Swim School

Presented an TSW at Gold Coast Aquatic Centre a few weeks ago.

Amazing facility

What is on your bucket list of joy in 2025?

Set some small goals of things that bring you joy!

2024 was a cracking year of filling my bucket list of joy, and 2025 has already ticked a few joy boxes.

Celebrate progress.
Celebrate the small steps you make
Celebrate moving forward

I co-presented teacher of swimming and water safety course last weekend at Sandgate Aquatic. We had a beautiful group of candidates.

Training new swim teachers was a role that brought so much joy to me in Perth. I am so grateful to be doing this amazing inspiring role again- now in Queensland and Northern New South Wales.

28 years ago I competed my AUSTSWIM course in Perth, which saw me teach swimming and water safety in 3 Countries (Australia, USA, and UK), and now 3 States.

This year my goals are to observe, co-present and present Infant courses… then eventually Access and inclusion, Adults, and competitive strokes.

In the process of getting accreditation to present resuscitation courses again, then up-skill to first aid courses.

The last 12 months for me has been so what brings joy! Ticking those bucket lists full of joy has been an amazing experience.

Well 2024 has been a year that I have chipped away at things that bring me joy after the toughest few years. Plus a few bonus visitors that brought joy.

✅ Renewing my AUSTSWIM quals
✅ mum and dad visiting
✅ camping a Easter
✅ Relocating to Gold Coast with Christopher John Kenafake was the best move
✅ Chris’s mum visiting
✅ Tania, Rod Oneill and Dan bam visiting
✅ purchasing our Kimberley kamper
✅ camping in September
✅ aunty Lyn and uncle Brian visiting
✅ getting my certificate for Cert IV TAE trainer and assessor
✅ walking daily with Makalu, including the hill walks
✅ having my first session back in the gym
✅ losing 20kgs this year… more to come

What joy the rest of 2024 has on offer
✅ mum coming to visit again
✅ Amy and fam bam coming to visit
✅ presenting AUSTSWIM courses again
✅ hopefully training resusc courses again
✅ camping in Rockhampton at Christmas
✅ consistency in the gym

Spent the weekend Mt Ommaney observing an TSW course..

Thank you Ballina for all the memories and to the wonderful swimmers and their families we taught while here. Everyone has a beautiful space in my heart.

We closed August 2022, after a number of significant challenges
COVID, Floods, my partners family court, suffering significant chlorine burns (ongoing issues with my skin), reactions to COVID vaccinations, a major injury August 2022 which is finally settling, long COVID, and a whole raft of things I have worked through with a psychologist.

We are relocating to the Gold Coast next week, and looking forward to a fresh start.

I will be jumping back into the pool, training new swimming teachers again with AUSTSWIM in a few months when the upgrade in new course has been signed off, and offering professional development to swim schools. As well as working my full time role.

27 years I have been in the industry and nothing prepared me for water safety week after the flood and the impact it had on me, and triggered me again this year:

swimming always brought so much joy to me, and assisting so many swimmers in Ballina was so rewarding, and each swimmer inspired me to be the best I can be.

Just an update for the beautiful people who have messaged asking about my cousins caravan park.

It has been under water since beginning of December, with the waters starting to slowly go down. There is still a lot of water to go.

They are ok, school resumes next week, her husband has started working again to get some income.

Between my mum, dad, sister and me checking on them daily it has been a long exhausting time since they moved what they could.

Sending so much love and hugs and positive w energy their way ❤️

This is my cousins caravan park in the foreground today. The water is meant to peak this week. 4 weeks under water so far and estimated to be under for months. The last time the water was this high it took almost 12 months to go down.

All buildings are at the roof now.

It is heartbreaking seeing their home and business gone for who knows how long.

To our family who live and operate a small business on the Murray River and so many other families and small businesses who are experiencing the current flood or expecting the flood in the near future. Our thoughts are with you.

Supporting family from a distance while they try and pack up a massive business and save what they can before the flood hits has exhausted them. The flood hit in the last 2 days and this is the first of maybe 3 waves of flood over the next 3 months.

Our region has been through so much this year and still has so much that still needs recovery. This year has certainly been difficult for so many and continues to throw curve balls our way.

Coming soon to Alstonville…

Fit tikes
Fit kids
Fit youth