Kilsyth Centenary Pool has been rewarded for outstanding customer service by Aquatic Recreations Victoria at its annual awards.
Gayle Turner, who has worked at the Kilsyth Pool for 22 years, received the award in June for her customer service at the aquatics centre, her teamwork, multi-tasking and work with the community.
Walling Ward Councillor, Len Cox, congratulated Gayle on the award and said
"We know that pools are at the heart of so many of our communities, and we also know that having a friendly face to greet you makes a world of difference wherever you go," Cr Cox said.
"The people that work at our pools and aquatic facilities become a regular part of our residents' lives, and I'm sure many of our locals are happy to have people like Gayle behind the counters of their venues.
"This award is confirmation that you're doing a great job here, so congratulations to Gayle and the team at Kilsyth for this great and well-deserved award."
Walling Ward Councillor, Len Cox, with Kilsyth Centenary Pool's Gayle Turner
Belgravia Leisure CEO, Nick Cox, thanked Gayle for more than two decades of commitment to the pool and her outstanding customer service.
"Gayle's win was a brilliant testament to her longstanding contributions to Kilsyth Centenary Pool, the local community and Belgravia Leisure," Belgravia Leisure CEO, Nick Cox said.
"Providing high-quality customer service and putting customers is at the heart of our organisation. Gayle embodies everything we could ask for in a customer service team member."
Ms Turner said she was excited to win the award, and proud of her 22 years at the Kilsyth Pool.
"All the regulars who come through, we know them by name, and I love our aqua ladies – I sit down and have coffee a few times a week," she said.
"I actually started as a swim teacher here, working casually, and worked my way up into life guarding and customer service.
"Now I'm actually a swim schools coordinator, which still has a lot of customer experience, just something a little different.
"I actually told my manager 12 months ago, when the last winner was announced, I'm going to win it this year, so this is great."
Cr Cox said that Council had committed $1.8 million to maintaining aquatic facilities in its recently-endorsed 2019-20 Budget.
"One of our goals in our Health and Wellbeing Strategy is to ensure that people in the Yarra Ranges are physically active, and visiting the local pool is certainly a great way to do that," he said.
"It's important that we keep supporting our aquatic facilities, whether they're our indoor and outdoor pools, or our much-loved water play parks, and we're doing just that in this year's budget.
"In the long-term, we'll be working on our Aquatics Strategy, figuring out the best way to update and upgrade the facilities at the Kilsyth Pool and our other facilities across Yarra Ranges in coming years."
