Splashing through the stigma

In this episode of the Aquatics Only podcast, David Stennett and Luke Daly discuss the importance of development in the aquatic industry. They dive into a recent visit to the Royal Life Saving Infrastructure Symposium in Melbourne, highlighting key takeaways and lessons learned. They also explore the role of swim schools in the broader aquatic ecosystem, touching on infrastructure, staff challenges, and how the industry is evolving. David opens up about his personal journey of learning to swim at nearly 48 years old, sharing the challenges and triumphs of facing a lifelong vulnerability. The episode also features an exciting announcement about the launch of the AO Influencers 30 Under 40initiative, recognizing emerging leaders in the aquatic space.

Thanks for listening to Aquatics Only. If you’re in swim schools, aquatic facilities, lifeguarding, learn-to-swim, programs, products, or anything water safety related, you’re in the right place.

Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode, and if this one was useful, share it with someone in the industry.

Want to get involved or have a guest/topic suggestion? Reach out: aquaticsonlypod@gmail.com

Transcript

David Stennett (00:00)
Well, it is my pleasure and well, it's your pleasure too, dear listener, to be back with me, David Stennart and well, hello Luke Daly again.

Luke Daly (00:10)
Hello Dave, are you gonna let me do the intro like at any point do you think or is it just the way it is now?

David Stennett (00:15)
Let's be honest, you did the last intro and the whole thing. I didn't even make an appearance on the last one. So if anyone's got a gripe at the moment about being left out of the podcast and aquatics only, it's me. Can we just insert maybe a violin playing here if possible.

Luke Daly (00:29)
I mean, we can, but that episode had actually gone on to be one of our biggest, I'll have you know. But I'm gonna take what you will out of that.

David Stennett (00:35)
Well, it's unsurprising.

We know where the talent and the real thinking of AO is and it's mainly you. I'm not sure what I do here other than kind of bounce you around the park to let you speak.

Luke Daly (00:45)
To be fair, I was expecting you to talk me down and then talk Sarah up. That probably would have been the right thing to do, but that's okay.

David Stennett (00:51)
Well, no, Sarah was absolutely, to be fair, Sarah was absolutely incredible. Great interview. If you haven't listened back to it, I highly suggest you do, but that's in the past. We are here for the future. Well, that's not actually true. The first thing we're to start talking about is basically the past. Luke, where have you been? You've obviously, I can see you through my screen here. We do this through an online dooby-whacka, oovy what's it app. That's all people talk for something like a zoom that we're using called River Slide.

Luke Daly (01:05)
Yeah.

Software,

yes.

David Stennett (01:19)
This

and software software. That's what it's called and I can see you Luke you're looking you're looking extra extra handsome today, mate You've had the haircut your own rewards a new look

Luke Daly (01:26)
Thanks man.

Yeah, I'm working it, working it through. Stay tuned for that. You might see me. I'm going to have my own Tom Petrovsky moment from Comm Bank. I don't know if anyone knows him, but I'm going to go through my own Tom Petrovsky moment. So it's going to take a while. He's taken like 20 years to do it, but I like where he's landed.

David Stennett (01:36)
Mm-hmm.

Okay, alright, well I don't know who that is but definitely you're on to something. Short, short back and sides, a little bit longer on top. I think we're heading towards maybe a Japanese sumo sort of top-knot thing going on held together with a couple of chopsticks.

Luke Daly (01:56)
Why are you fat shaming me on the podcast about my haircut? Why are you calling me a sumo?

David Stennett (02:00)
Mate, I can't help the way that you take facts and you're doing this with your hair right now, it's happening. exactly, I will leave that to you and the audience to decide, hey, where have we been? Look, I suppose the last couple of weeks, we joined many of you down in Victoria, beautiful outlook, wasn't it? Down there in Port Phillip Bay in Melbourne at the Royal Life Saving Infrastructure Symposium. I always feel...

Luke Daly (02:07)
Did you say take facts or take fats?

Yeah, it was

very good.

David Stennett (02:27)
saying words

like symposium.

Luke Daly (02:29)
I feel intelligent saying infrastructure.

David Stennett (02:32)
Mm, infrastructure symposium, double level, next level, level up, just intelligence. Now, speaking of, there was a hell of a lot of intelligence in that room, a hell of a lot of insight in that room. Thoughts, feedback, where do you wanna start on that, Luke?

Luke Daly (02:48)
Look, it's fast moving and wide ranging. would suggest is where I would start. I, I liked a few of the more provocative speakers that maybe had some, they're not even unconventional. Some might say they just haven't been the way that it's been done. Dave, you and I have worked together for a long time. So anytime I hear the words, that's the way we've always done it. get a bit, you know, I get this head tilt. It's like a tick. Yeah. Yeah. So I think it's time. Like, and for me,

David Stennett (03:07)
I just want to stab someone in the eyes with a pen. Yeah.

Great.

Luke Daly (03:15)
The standout was, was Kiara from Mertha. we've spent a bit of time with her lately, but for me, just challenging the status quo. think that's really helpful at this point, because when you do the numbers based off, I suppose the way we've always done it, they stack up pretty unfavorably for our industry. And frankly, if that's how they stack up to us, how do they stack up for the people that fundamentally we're looking for the support from?

David Stennett (03:39)
Look, correct, and I suppose there's another challenge there, isn't there, that so much of it seems to be us looking with our hand out for handouts as an industry, not necessarily rather than, but in contrast with presenting ourselves as a foundational fundamental.

community growing asset that has a great return on investment with what we do. I think some of the numbers that Royal Life has presented on that on the dollar amounts that are added back to community. can't remember the number off the top of my head. Do forgive me, RJ, but the research has been done on that. They're compelling. I think we go back to the reason that symposium exists in the first place is that we're all recognizing

Again, the data that shows that there is billions, as I put my little finger up next to my mouth, billions of dollars that need spending on our community aquatics infrastructure in order to protect the future. And we have always had a great swimming culture in this country post-World War II. And that is one thing that we do want to keep. We've always had one. I think we want to keep that. The benefits are there. But the way we deliver this infrastructure to the community,

Well, that was the challenge over those couple of days. I would say for me, Luke, you, you enjoyed that one from Chiara from Merthyr. I completely agree. That was, that gave some good fundamental insights. were a couple of other good structural thoughts, but so much of it we just had to get through for me was a little bit of show and tell of look at mine, look at me and a little bit of maybe, maybe ego. We've all got ego, but once we got sort of through that, we built a pattern.

There was some really good things there. And I think what needs to happen next, because what's the point of that if the next thing doesn't happen, is working out what are the fundamentals to build the frameworks in kind of like a Meccano set. You need this bit and this bit and this bit to clip together. I mean, come on Luke, let me ask you, what are the things that a facility wants that is consistent across? They're all running the same programs, right? Go, what are the things that we're all running across our facilities? it.

Perth regionally or, you know, CBD, you've seen the, or Melbourne.

Luke Daly (05:41)
We only need staff. That's probably the biggest one that I get across the paddock. need to attract more staff.

David Stennett (05:43)
What,

hang on, where are you going with this? Wrong answer. No, that's a good answer. But you're CEO of ASSA. You've got to start with swim schools, right? Isn't learn to swim part of what should be happening all around the country. So these facilities need to have learned for swim. You're going to be an aqua lady one day. need the aqua, the sports. They, while every facility might not do all of these things, they all do some of those things. So creating

the templates that fit together to work en masse and that we can present as a unified aquatic space would make sense. It does in my head, it doesn't seem that hard.

Luke Daly (06:21)
you just ask a question and give me the answer because you didn't like my answers or what happened there?

David Stennett (06:24)
Yes,

your answer was wrong. No, it wasn't. We do need to, and I think you're looking at a more fundamental operations level. I'm looking at a build structure, infrastructure level, and then you're looking at the operations, which is staff. But at the build level, do you want to see an ability to engage the community and learn to swim, Luke?

Luke Daly (06:42)
Yes, fundamentally, yes, of course. And we need that. And given that Swim Schools plays such an important component within these leisure facilities, it would make obvious sense.

David Stennett (06:49)
That's it. I wound him up, let him go. Ladies

and gentlemen, CEO of ASSA Swim Schools, Luke Daly. Please continue.

Luke Daly (06:55)
You just needed to prompt me on what you were looking for there, my friend. look, I think you and I have dialogued this before. One of the more recent pools has been installed, which is almost a copy paste of things that have happened over the years. And you go, that's a very difficult pool to run a learn to swim kind of thing out of it. It's too deep or it isn't built that way. You and I are both a big fan of the width and the depth.

David Stennett (06:58)
Thank

Luke Daly (07:18)
So the depth one shallow to deep running across the pool rather than the length of the pool, Dave. I think we like that, don't we?

David Stennett (07:24)
interesting

and that came up at the symposium too that what we would coin as the sideways pull and we've talked about it before that one we saw in Perth that kind of just sent us a bit spinny.

Luke Daly (07:34)
Yep, I'm a DOW.

David Stennett (07:35)
Yeah, there you go, you even remember where it was. So the fundamental things are there. The intelligence and insight that was in that room is just incredible. What a space to be involved in. I think the Olympics coming up in our part of the world here in Queensland in the next, what is it, seven, eight years, 2032, bears an opportunity for us to try and leverage some of this infrastructure funding and opportunity around the country now as we prepare our

our youngins to become the Olympic athletes of that series here in Australia, the 2032 Brisbane event. And I think it's worth as well. We've promised we'd get RJ on the show. He was just so flat out. Congratulations to RJ for pulling together, like herding together cats in a room, really, and trying to help us all point the same direction. We've all got our own self-interests, all of us, but to try and pull that together and looking forward to see where it goes. And we do need to get RJ on the show,

Luke Daly (08:27)
We do. We do. And I think it's worth to just picking off the back of that, um, chatting with some people from swimming Australia about those Olympics that you just highlight. just want to jump in on that and we'll have some, people on from there as well, whether it's around some, coaching development or whether it's around developing the swimmers that hopefully will be representing us come through to 2032. So shout out to Sam Watson and, and Maddie as well, or even Nicole Webster, who I met with the other week. So, uh, it would be great to have some of you or all of you.

David Stennett (08:46)
So.

Come on.

Luke Daly (08:56)
We could have a panel.

David Stennett (08:57)
Let's

do it. I mean, let's do it. All right. We've got a bit coming up that we're promising on this podcast. That's good. Hey, look, moving on from that symposium, let's see where that goes. It was a great start again. Thank you to RJ for really pulling together what you did pull together there. Huge interest as this should be from the aquatic space together, getting us all pointing in the same direction. Let's go and build something.

Luke Daly (08:59)
Deal. Put it in your calendars, guys.

David Stennett (09:23)
Let's move on with our conversation today, Peakhurst West, what's going on down there? A little more of what we've been talking about at the symposium, but taking theory, putting it to action, getting it done. Tell us about what's going on, mate.

Luke Daly (09:36)
I think that's part of the point, right? Like we talk about this infrastructure symposium and this is theory in action, you might say. So P-curse West, did you actually say that though? We'll have to rewind it and play it back. Either way, repetition is key to getting a message across Dave. So teamwork makes the dream work.

David Stennett (09:41)
Mm-hmm. Yes. I think I just did say.

yeah i did

Mm-hmm.

You're right.

Theory in action.

Luke Daly (09:56)
And so, so Jane and Peter, from Bright Pool Services who are long-term listeners in the podcast, well, as long as they can, given we've been only running since August. but Jane's reached out on loyal. That's right. Yeah, they are loyal listeners and long-term, since the start, you might say, look, I think he is.

David Stennett (10:06)
That's right. Loyal. Loyal listeners.

Luke Daly (10:19)
Again, a good example of Jane reaching out via him out to keep us kind of updated on what's going on. Uh, it got tossed around a little bit, this pool during COVID from an operator perspective and was ultimately shut down. But I liked the way Jane's put this, get this for a one-liner. She's going to have to come on the podcast as host probably. Um, uh, I don't know if I can match this, but get this for a line.

So she talks about the scale of the job and how much work there is to do. And it talks to the infrastructure component as well as working out how to do it. Bearing in mind, Peter and Jane run Bright Pool Services, which is a retail shop and a commercial pool servicing business. This is, this is Jane's one-liner in the email. The job is huge. I won't lie, but the energy and spirit that surrounds this center is so seductive that I swear you get cats lining up to come in and take a swim.

David Stennett (11:10)
Okay.

Luke Daly (11:12)
How's that for a line though? And I think that's the sentiment of a lot of the different leisure facilities that we have around the place. So, Jane talks about how the plant room needs an upgrade, and that obviously layers down through architectures and engineering and then product and all that kind of stuff as well. but I love the community around it. So Jane talks about how Elijah Winnington is going to attend to run a technique clinic for the local swim club. And I think that probably happened a couple of weeks ago. So, we might have to get Jane on to.

David Stennett (11:13)
Pretty good.

Yeah.

Luke Daly (11:40)
to actually let us know how that went because I mean, I think it's pretty cool. Community spirit is what these leisure facilities were built on initially. and there's that, that's the real line. We don't necessarily need to have a handout. Those support is, is really well appreciated. These are meant to be third places. These are meant to be community facilities where we all come along to and have investment in. I think, theory and action to say it for a third time, is, is really cool. And the spirit there,

David Stennett (11:48)
Right. Yeah, it's right.

Luke Daly (12:06)
I don't know if we want cats lining up to take us for a minute pools, but if, that's how seductive the energy and spirit of our leisure facilities are, sure cats can come too.

David Stennett (12:10)
Thanks.

No, no, not for me. I'm not the cat person. Let's, we need to move on from this conversation. Otherwise I'll just start sneezing. just talking about them. See, I'm rubbing my nose already. Hey, listen, Luke, have you looked at the calendar?

Luke Daly (12:29)
Fable.

David Stennett (12:36)
It's already mid-April, which means that by the time... Well, I don't know when we're releasing this, but as we're recording this, it's going to be Easter this weekend. What the... That's crazy. Which... No...

Luke Daly (12:36)
Constantly.

wild.

I don't know how it's happened, right? Halfway through

April, we're at the end of Q1 for this year already and Easter's arrived. Come on.

David Stennett (12:57)
I mean, we tried to get the summer swims done and that feels like a blink ago that we were, that was that super hot day and we ended up on channel nine news. That just feels like a blink ago wherever we were for that. New market?

Luke Daly (13:00)
We did.

That was January,

like seventh or something like that. Yeah, that was that Newmarket. We kicked it off at Charmside that day, but yeah, that was like January 7th or something.

David Stennett (13:15)
Yeah, we made the news. Us, us

good looking people, but they chose to go with you rather than me. It's understandable again. but it's going so quick and that means that, well, summer is over. It's officially over and the weather's changing. yeah, well, I'm only just catching up with that. Okay. The world's moving very fast. But coming to Easter, seasonal shutdowns, a lot of stuff going on, right, Luke? around the country with our facilities, particularly regional.

Luke Daly (13:30)
Just for the record, summer's been over for like six weeks, like I finished at end of February.

Yeah. Look at marks of time where the leisure facilities, particularly regionally, start to close down and they run through their shutdown procedures. And I mean, it's, it's sad, but it's the reality. gets fricking cold, man. I wouldn't.

David Stennett (13:50)
all the challenges.

Is that a,

is that like a proper scientific term to describe coal? Like, it's very cold. There's super cold. then there's freaking cold.

Luke Daly (14:01)
freaking cold. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. There's varying degrees.

The point is they're not worth opening at some of these places and says seasonal pools. and that has a lot of implications for our operators, whether they're council or management companies in there doing it or swim schools that have been operating swimming lessons across that passage of time. I call this development season as well. So even you Lou.

David Stennett (14:22)
I like that.

It's a good thought as things sort of slow down and stop. What's the, what's sort of the net positive thing we can do at a particular time of the year to keep, for lack of a better term, it sounds a bit cliche, but a process of continual improvement, development for ourselves at a professional level or for our business, right? I think that's where you're getting at. I like that.

Luke Daly (14:42)
I

hear what you're saying in terms of sounding a bit cliche, but what's the opposite? Like what's the other option is if we're not continually improving. Yeah, that's right. We've, we've often talked about Dave and we've done some sales training around, in particular, what happens when you do stop learning and the rise and fall of empires as kind of articulated by Ray Dalio. That's still a good graph. I was looking at that yesterday. in fact, and it's

David Stennett (14:48)
getting worse.

You're dead. Yep. We use that often, don't we? You and I,

when we're talking with different groups and business strategy and structures, which something Luke and I do do, with sales training and some professional delivery stuff just on the side. And that chart in particular, Luke, you're right. You stop learning, you're dead, and you don't even know it.

Luke Daly (15:18)
So I suppose to bring that back to what we're talking about here is it's development season, or if we want it to, we could loop some training and development season into there. And there's a lot of conferences that are coming through, including the spark conference, seeing we're getting our free plugs out in this segment, Dave.

David Stennett (15:32)
Yep. Well, Meitronics

Fusion Conference coming up for all the focus on Meitronics. Dealers in the country too. Hello, my people.

Luke Daly (15:38)
There you go. So Freeplug City. What are you guys doing? What are we doing in the marketplace? Is whether it's internally to develop our own teams or externally, what are we doing? Which conferences are we going to? And we'll try and publish a list. Yep. A lot in the wings. And I think the biggest one, Dave, is like, we do have this Lyle period. Our whole industry goes so, so, so hard across that summer period of say September through till March. So it's okay to take a rest.

David Stennett (15:45)
Yep. Country Pool Manager's coming up.

Yeah.

Luke Daly (16:05)
It's okay to take a beat and have a breather, but also like, what are we doing? It's a good time to think about what we can do better for next season, what we can innovate on and where we can progress too. And I think we'll talk about this as we go. We might get even some more specialists on. We've got lot of interviews to do Dave, so we better get busy. But what are we doing to manage our cashflow? Winters can be really dark and really long during these quiet periods for a lot of different people out there. So.

David Stennett (16:24)
Yay.

Ouch.

Yeah.

Luke Daly (16:35)
just, I suppose this is the trigger warning to go, Hey, just do your cashflow projections, reassess them. And I'm doing that for us as well. Just looking at that going, Hey, winters can be tough. So just monitor our cashflow. Cause it is king at the end of the day, that cashflow.

David Stennett (16:47)
If

you've got any questions, talk to Luke's mum, she's an accountant. Hello Luke's mum. Also a loyal listener of the show, I believe Luke.

Luke Daly (16:51)
Hello, Mother.

I think I've just been terminated as a customer though. So for the first time in my life, I think I did.

David Stennett (16:57)
Have you?

That's fair. Look, yeah, look, those pools are shutting down, but I don't think every pool is shutting down and certainly not in my area at the moment, Luke. Do we want to talk about that?

Luke Daly (17:09)
Or do you want to talk about that Dave?

David Stennett (17:11)
I don't know that

I do want to talk about it. It feels a bit real and vulnerable to be honest. huh. I know. I'm just going to lie down on the couch right now if we're going to have this chat.

Luke Daly (17:16)
Well, you know, that's only going to encourage me to talk about it more.

Okay, so.

Yeah, recline that recline that little race chair you've got there for an office chair, mate. And I think, you know, we like to do a bit of fun stuff here and there. And whether we regard this as fun, I'm not sure, but we like to shake it up a little bit. So we did the the sipping. No, I don't think it is. I'm here for you on this one. Am I going to give you an absolute ribbing in the whole process? 100 % and you'd be disappointed if I didn't. But no, I will.

David Stennett (17:27)
Cool.

I think it's more fun for you.

Thanks. Tell people what it is, rip

the bandaid off. You put a picture up on LinkedIn to sort of tease it. Nobody's responded because it's so, but yeah, it's a bit vague.

Luke Daly (17:50)
I will support you. Now we like to do projects. We did this tip in...

vague.

Either that or they just don't want to pay attention to what we're talking about.

David Stennett (18:01)
So

it's a kickboard and some goggles. Thank you, Vorgie, for the photo. Yeah. Yeah, so it turns out I'm pushing 50. I'll be 48 this year. The story for me on this is a long one. Started out, you know, grew up in the grey eastern suburbs of Melbourne and they throw you in a pool in...

Luke Daly (18:07)
David is going to learn to swim.

David Stennett (18:22)
winter and it was freezing cold. weren't heated in those days. And a few weeks later, they'd have trout swimming around in them because they turned them into trout pools at that time back in the eighties. And I was always just so cold and so miserable that I just hated it never actually learned the strokes and how to swim properly. I didn't see the point of it because I lived, you know, an hour and a half away from a beach. And if you went to the pool, you just go playing, you know, where you could stand and throw things and whatever. So always loved the water, but never properly learned to swim. Fast forward to university.

I did my university degree in primary school teaching and I chose PE as my major. Well, that was a dumb decision, Luke, because in order to pass PE as my major and get my certification to be able to go and be a teacher, I had to pass Auschwim at the time. Now, you know, I'm going to put this out there at the moment. This is going out on the public record.

I failed my final swim swim. did it three times. was going back with the fourth and I got in the pool and they looked at me and went, you can't swim 150 meters demonstrating three different strikes. You've not been able to do it. Would you, this was, said, they said, would you promise us that you are never going to teach a child to swim?

and you are only doing this just to get your ability to teach inside a classroom where there is no water. And I agreed. And so I swim past me as a swim teacher so I could get my degree on the promise that I would never teach a child to swim. And I can tell you I swim and everybody out there that I have never taught a child to swim. I have three children of my own and I paid somebody else to have them learn how to swim as well. So.

Luke Daly (19:49)
usually.

David Stennett (20:09)
Now I get to here and I still can't swim 50 meters mate without falling apart.

Luke Daly (20:14)
Well, and you've sent through a couple of videos. So for me, the question and to be fair, you said it was a long story, but that's one of the shortest ones I've ever heard you tell. Why now? Like, why at nearly 48? Why? Why?

David Stennett (20:25)
Yeah.

It's a good question. So I've been in the pool industry now for well, 20 years, and it's always sort of hung over me. And the team that I was running here in my current role, I had three ex national champions or Olympic swimmers in my team. you go, this is embarrassing. So being again, feeling very vulnerable and trying to be completely honest and transparent with, with y'all.

It is embarrassing that I can't swim 50 meters without being out of breath and falling apart. There was an event on in Adelaide a few years ago. was about 30 of us at six o'clock in the morning jumping off a jetty. It was a NASA conference a couple of years ago. Everyone in their white robes. We looked like a cult at 6 a.m. walking out on the jetty at Glenelg and jumping off. I wanted to be a part of it because I'm that guy who wants to be a part of stuff.

Luke Daly (21:05)
Say an asset conference perhaps?

David Stennett (21:18)
and I had to have a quiet conversation with a couple of the girls there, who I knew to say, I'm not sure I'm going to be able to swim back in. they're like, just I'll jump in first, you jump in second. The other one will jump in on the other side and get me back in. As it turned out, it was fine going in with the waves and the salt water. And it was pretty floaty. I was able to get back in. Okay. But actually having to tell someone that was really, I don't like that as maybe as a man or as a human, a little bit of pride and ego.

But they, look, those girls were horrific towards me. They didn't make me feel embarrassed at all. It was great. And it's probably given me the courage now to actually have this conversation. But the reason for now, Luke, is my wife for the last few years has been doing triathlons, spring distance. It's only a 750 meter swim. Put me on a bike, I can ride. Put a pair of runners on me and tell me to run, I can run.

No problem, I'm not gonna be super fast, but I can run for a few hours and be okay. I can't swim 50 meters. The thought of getting through 750 meters in open water, yeah, that's an impossible dream. In fact, this feels more like a nightmare than a dream at the moment. And that's the why now, because I'd really like to be able to go do a triathlon and be able to get that swim out of the way. There's the now.

Luke Daly (22:35)
And I mean, it's such a, it's a fascinating conversation. mean, obviously this is the aquatic space and the aquatic sunny podcast. So swimming is kind of our thing in a lot of ways, but you are extremely confident and competent at running or cycling. actually I've never seen you ride a bicycle. I've only seen you ride a motorbike, but, I have.

David Stennett (22:54)
It's not that hard, just pedal

right and I'm on the ground, it's fine, I can manage that. Like I'm on a hard surface, I'm in control. In water I... So again, being a bit vulnerable mate, I don't feel in control in the water.

Luke Daly (22:59)
Yeah, and you can run like we talk about. Yep.

Which is what like and biomechanically I so I grew up swimming. If you look at me, probably tell that I'm not a runner. But swimming for me is always something that clicked and in a triathlon. So maybe I'll do the swim leg for you and you can do the run leg for me. We can do a team, but it's not I suppose, again, kids only know what they know and they suppose transfers through to adulthood. But you've sent me some videos and we'll share them.

which is why you sent them to me. It's not I'm sharing them outside of confidence and the permission to do so. But.

David Stennett (23:32)
No, if I'm going to talk about it, might

as well join you guys can join the journey with me. And I don't know what, I don't know what form it's going to take. I suppose the goal is to reach 750 and do a triathlon would be to be the goal. but I, I'm not going to get there.

Luke Daly (23:45)
But I think there's a starting point.

So let's have this chat, right? Because you're in the industry. You are a confident person, mostly, and we're being vulnerable now. I have my own version of that. when people got to witness Megaloo doing the laps during sip and swim tests, the big white whale with the rig out, for you running this process.

It is quite vulnerable. Fortunately, I suspect someone will reach out or many people may reach out off the back of this and offer their assistance. So please, please do. But, but that begs the question. What does that say to the stigma? Like if someone was to reach out and offer assistance, hypothetically, even if, even if they don't, but would you take that as a grown ass man? What does that look like for you?

David Stennett (24:23)
I would now. I would

now. So yeah, I would now. In the past, probably not, but I think got to a position over a couple of things. that thing that happened a couple of years ago on the Jetty England Elg, yeah, you know, at least one of the girls that was wonderfully kind and helpful to me at the time is a listener to this podcast and you know who you are and it made a difference. And I thank you for that.

Luke Daly (24:36)
I remember you telling me about it at the time.

David Stennett (24:50)
that was difficult to talk about at the time, but I suppose it's built my confidence now to be able to have this conversation, which is still incredibly awkward and embarrassing. but yeah, no, I would, I, if I want to reach that goal of being able to go and do something my wife can do, I don't like being beaten by her. And at the moment she's beating me in a triathlon. I reckon I can beat her on the bike and running, but I can't.

Luke Daly (25:11)
assuming you

make it out of the water.

David Stennett (25:12)
But I

can't even make it in the water. Like I'm going to have to be pulled out by the rescue boat before I even get to those other two legs at this stage. that's, yeah, I suppose my motivation is I want to beat my wife.

Luke Daly (25:25)
So I okay, I'm not going to use that as a sound bite. that's, that's probably.

David Stennett (25:28)
No, I want to win against

her in a triathlon.

Luke Daly (25:35)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, well.

David Stennett (25:36)
Wow. Wow. Media taking things out of context

right there. Thanks. No.

Luke Daly (25:41)
That is not a CNN sound grab.

I suppose...

All day, every day.

teaching people to swim, called Australians, Indigenous Australians, adults, kids, people with disabilities and that kind of thing. As an adult learning to swim, I suppose, who's come to terms with it and I suppose there's a reason that you didn't really regard it for the first, not even the first, but the middle, let's call it 25 years of your life. You didn't think about it as a kid and then you've clearly avoided it up until say 45, a couple of years ago.

David Stennett (26:13)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Luke Daly (26:19)
You've processed it due to, suppose, not being able to avoid it in some ways. You've got a desire and a goal now to do something that requires you to be able to swim. What about other people who are kind of resting with a similar thing? Whether, maybe they're not from our industry, maybe they're just an adult learning to swim. And it's, you know, this is the Aquatics Only podcast, so people listen to it from our industry. But if they could share one piece of advice to someone who is having these challenges.

David Stennett (26:25)
F. F.

Mm-hmm.

Luke Daly (26:44)
about the stigma, let's call it the stigma of not being able to swim. What's one piece of advice that would help?

David Stennett (26:49)
I don't know. That's like...

Luke Daly (26:51)
I'll roll back the clock. You've just referenced a person who kind of helped you at the jetty to be able to swim in. was one little comment?

David Stennett (26:55)
I think, I don't know. I don't know.

think it's got to be that timing and the confidence to say it'll, it'll be okay. Just start small. There's someone here. having said that when I

have started doing my swimming, there hasn't necessarily been a lifeguard or somewhere around. And I have noticed that, mate. Like I do feel incredibly vulnerable getting into that water and I'm swimming and going, I can't touch the ground here. Now I've got lane ropes to hold onto, but if I cramp up or something goes on, I'm struggling and I'm, you know, doing survival stroke halfway through a 50 meter lap, just to get to the end. you know, I do want to know that somebody there at that point.

to make sure that I'm not gonna drown silently, which is kind of what it feels like.

Luke Daly (27:37)
the word, probably the advice I was looking for wasn't that you should learn to swim by yourself, but

David Stennett (27:39)
Sorry. No, no,

no. And that's exactly, that's exactly right. But that's where I've started at the moment.

Luke Daly (27:47)
Okay. So we're to go on this journey across. Well, let's, if we've coined this development season for the industry, this is development season for Dave and Dave is going to develop his swimming.

David Stennett (27:47)
the loser.

Get the dead on there.

Luke Daly (27:56)
What's the goal?

we ran through mine last year with my kind of rehab goal for my knees to ride that 100k that we did in October. I suppose if you picked an event date to work towards, know, if we look at our goal setting.

David Stennett (28:03)
easy.

No, no, haven't.

No, I'm not going to pick an event date until I'm confident that I can least swim half the distance. No, until I'm confident I can actually even get to half the distance. I'm not even at that point.

Luke Daly (28:15)
Can I? Can I pick one for you?

Yeah, but I'm being a

nice person at this point. You got to do the November, because that's close enough, but far enough away. So you got six months, more than. So seven months. And the good thing, do you know about the Kingscliff Tri-Swim? Have you heard about that?

David Stennett (28:34)
No, I'm listening, but I'm ignoring you at the same time.

Luke Daly (28:37)
You can ignore me, but it's the most friendly swim that you could do. It's got a bit of a current that flows out and kind of carries you with it. if we're going to do one. Yeah, similar to bribey, I think this this current's even a bit stronger.

David Stennett (28:44)
Yeah, sounds like bribe. Bribe, bribe is like that. it's probably

bribe that I would end up going to do if I'm going to do any, but I know you can see looking it up now, stop it. I'm not prepared to do that until I can actually work out how to swim 50 meters to start with. And I haven't even got that far, mate, so. All right. All right. Well.

Luke Daly (29:03)
Alright.

Well, thank

you for sharing Dave. I know that that is a big thing to share. that is the kind of next project from a personal perspective that we're working on, the sip and dip test and then David's development season for swimming. Say that five times fast.

David Stennett (29:16)
Yeah,

splash and dash or something. I don't know what I'm doing. Hopefully not sync. But we'll talk about that later.

Luke Daly (29:23)
I don't think there'd be much dashing, mate, frankly. Hopefully not too much splashing

and hopefully a bit of dashing. So we'll cover that off on podcasts. We'll get probably monthly, let's call them updates. So you've got something to work towards because heaven knows you love a deadline. so we're going to work towards kind of monthly. So every second podcast, we'll do a bit of a cover off on, and we'll see kind of what progress you're making. listens, if you got any tips or tricks for Dave, I'm sure he'd be happy to hear from you. and if there's anyone kind of up the sunshine coast who would like to assist, please do reach out.

David Stennett (29:48)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Luke Daly (29:51)
The kind of next and last thing, cause we're going long on this podcast is, I suppose the next project for the industry that we're going to chat about Dave. that's yeah. I mean, we were a bit known for that, right? We're becoming known to be industry cheerleaders. and that's what we had to do. had to lift the industry up and champions is probably more masculine way to put it.

David Stennett (30:00)
Come on, let's go.

What are we doing? What are we doing to lift

up the champions of the aquatics professional space? Because there's a damn lot of them out there. What are we doing, Luke?

Luke Daly (30:19)
Yeah. Yeah. So we're going to call it the AO, which if you hadn't figured out is aquatics only at this point. No, not Australian Open either. It's I mean, hopefully it's not trademarked, but it is aquatics only and we're calling it. You're right. Did you want to comment?

David Stennett (30:24)
adults only.

No,

no, I think it's funny that we should trademark it. How dare they take our AO from us. If they start saying, AO, let's go. I mean, I'm going after them.

Luke Daly (30:41)
That's right.

think we'll lose. So we're calling, we're calling this the AO influences, which is, suppose, a recognition, not so much an awards, there's plenty of awards out there, isn't there? But it's more of a recognition thing. We've seen it done in other places before. And I think it's just about recognizing the influences within our industry. I think we've got to shine a light on some of our young talent coming through. well, this and we have

David Stennett (30:45)
It's hot.

Excellent.

Define Young, sub 48, sub 48.

Luke Daly (31:13)
No, sorry. The no, no. So it's called the AO influences 30 under 40. So we're going to find 30 influences that are under 40 years old. And do you want to know why it's not 30 under 30?

David Stennett (31:14)
Yeah

No. Why? That's I've gone for the fun to 48. That is outstanding. think we are going to, well, I don't think there's already so much talent in the industry that should be recognized there to narrow that down to 30. How do people get involved in this? Have we even got a plan around this yet, Excellent.

Luke Daly (31:28)
Cause I'm 34. So it has to be under 40.

It just doesn't ring.

Yeah, we've got a full plan around this, but

beyond that, I suppose there's the other side of the coin because, uh, I don't know if you've been paying attention, but there's a lot of gentrification going on in our industry. There's a lot of, um, change of ownership in different businesses. There's a lot of people kind of retiring and moving through. Uh, I'm not even talking about that so much. That would be, um, you know, a different thing. I'm talking about a changing of the guard, so to speak. Um, and that's where.

David Stennett (32:02)
corporatisation.

Okay?

Luke Daly (32:14)
the, we need to pay homage. We need to recognize them. You and I have talked about this at length over different things. We've to recognize the shoulders that we stand on. can't disrespect those who have gone before us just because we've got young and fresh ideas. We've got to kind of check ourselves on that. So the other side to the AO influences, so yes, we've got the 30 under 40, which has a very clear number on it. but the other side of this coin is the AO influences and it's the shapers side of things. So people who have shaped.

David Stennett (32:42)
Dad bods.

Luke Daly (32:43)
the industry.

David Stennett (32:44)
sorry. Shapely dad bods like me. I thought I'm in for it. I mean for a gong if it's the shapely award, but shapers my bad.

Luke Daly (32:51)
Well, yeah,

again, no, I've got you in all numbers on that anyway. But no, look, think the shape is here's an example of what a shaper might be. So at the boss W event that we had a couple of weeks ago up in Brisbane, our keynote speaker was Carol Fox. Thank you for coming. And Carol Fox, first of all, gave a great keynote. But one of the cool things, apart from being a keynote and sitting on a number of boards and being involved in the industry for quite some time.

David Stennett (33:03)
Yeah, great event.

Luke Daly (33:18)
was that she was actually the first paid female lifeguard. So I think there's something to that around shaping what that industry looks, shaping what our industry looks like now. And we need to pay homage and we need to recognize those who have gone before us and realize what they've done. So we can't just focus on what's coming through. We make plenty of noise a lot of the time, but I think respecting, paying homage and recognizing what that generation has done already that go before us.

David Stennett (33:32)
Very good.

Very, very good. Let's do it. Okay, so when are we going to start announcing how people can get involved in that? Luke?

Luke Daly (33:51)
Yeah, so standby, we'll open that up in a couple of weeks time, there'll just be a form submission. It's not a paid program or anything like that. Like we said, it's not an awards style thing. It's a recognition style thing. We want to celebrate and champion our industry that we are a part of, that we love, and that adds so much to society. We want to spotlight these people and share the stories. And I think that's, so just to harp on it, like if we go back to the symposium that we talked about just before,

David Stennett (34:05)
What the?

That's good.

Yeah.

Luke Daly (34:18)
outside of the content that was delivered and the messaging that we're doing is just conversations that happen around things. I met one young strapping lad, lad with wonderful biceps. Forgive me for forgetting your name if you do listen to the podcast, but, from regional Victoria, he covers off on six different aquatic centers. They would all be seasonal and it was a really fascinating story. I don't know if I shared this with you even, but he started as a lifeguard.

David Stennett (34:41)
No, I don't know.

Luke Daly (34:44)
when it was 16, 17, that kind of thing. Went off to uni down in Melbourne, completed civil engineering, took a job back at council just after finishing in civil engineering in that department of council. And within six months was area manager for aquatics.

David Stennett (34:51)
Mm-hmm.

Yep.

Very good. Nice.

Luke Daly (35:04)
nothing to do with civil engineering at

that point, though well equipped for it. And he, and he shared the story about how being a lifeguard and around the facility management element equipped him with some tools that he could translate into civil engineering. And now that he's come back and I've positive the question to him of going, would you go back into civil engineering at any point? Or are you, really content here? And he just says he loves being around the aquatic facility. So I think that's a really cool story of a kind of a 30 under 40.

David Stennett (35:26)
Yeah, if anybody knows who Luke is referring

to there, can you just do us a favor and pass this on to him so he knows that he's getting a bit of love? Given Luke knows quite who it was. But the stories matter and there's so many of those stories in our industry and that's what we want to capture in this 30 under 40 and the shapely ones as well. Sorry, not shapely, again, shapers. I think we should have a shapely one too, just for me.

Luke Daly (35:38)
Yeah, that'd be awesome.

Wonderful boss, I'm sorry. Remember that

shapers.

You got no shake compared to me champ, but that's fine.

David Stennett (35:54)
This is true. You'd leave a bigger hole in the wall than I would going through. AKA Warner Brothers cartoons. So what else we got? I think it's a wrap. I think we might be getting towards the end of this longer podcast today.

Luke Daly (36:06)
We might have to adjust this in the middle and put like a 2B continued given it's gone for so long. No, there's a lot of people going on holidays. know, they got long drives in front of them. A little bit of extra David and Luke from the Aquatics Only podcast will serve them well, I think, don't you?

David Stennett (36:10)
well, we'll cut this out of it anyway.

Yeah.

No, and some important stuff I've covered around the, the symposium, the movement forward of what our industry is doing. Shut down conversation. We're to continue around Easter of that development season. Great thoughts there. Uh, my journey around swimming. Um, again, if anybody is up on the sunshine coast or, or able to give me some tips or advice, I want to do a bit of coaching with me. I'm probably open to it at the moment. In fact, I am, um, and 30 under 40 good stuff today. Luke, thank you.

Luke Daly (36:49)
No thank you David, you have a happy Easter my friend, thank you for taking the time.

David Stennett (36:53)
Happy Easter to all of you out there. A-O, let's go.

Luke Daly (36:58)
You don't even let me do the let's go anymore. Is that what the go is?

David Stennett (37:01)
You could have just thrown a lights going there at end. You wanna do it again?

Luke Daly (37:05)
No.