It was appropriate that nearly 400 industry representatives came together on Friday 29 May at ZINC at Federation Square for the Victorian Aquatic & Recreation Awards Dinner presented by ARV, for that day was the 53rd anniversary of the passing of the man after whom the premier award of the evening was named.

Sir Frank Beaurepaire was a swimmer of high repute who in 1928 became a member of the Melbourne City Council.  He was Mayor for two years (1940-42) and was knighted for his services in sport and industry.  Later, he became a member of the Victorian Parliament and helped get the Olympics to Melbourne in 1956; the same year that he passed away.  Sir Frank Beaurepaire was also attributed with founding the Herald Learn to Swim program.  In 1922, he rescued a person from a shark attack and in return they gave him a reward which he used to start up his own business known as "The Beaurepaire Tyre Service" in Melbourne.

Whilst the 2009 winner of the Sir Frank Beaurepaire Award, for Outstanding Contribution by an Individual to the Aquatic & Recreation Industry, Norm Farmer, received the accolades of his peers, a trophy and a cheque for $500, it is doubtful that he will have the time to follow Sir Frank’s lead by using the money to set up a new business.  Norm’s life has been and remains committed to lifesaving and when his name was announced as the winner, he was on his way to Canada to present a paper at the RLSS Commonwealth Conference and preside over the Commonwealth Lifesaving Championships as a member of the Appeals Committee.

 

Norm Farmer is indeed a worthy winner of The Sir Frank Beaurepaire Award for 2009 which was awarded on behalf of the Beaurepaire Trust by son David Beaurepaire and received on behalf of Norm by Michael Martin.

 

In total, 16 awards were presented on the night.  Details on all of these deserving individuals and organisations can be found on the Award Recipients page of this website.