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World Leisure names Canadian professor as first female chair The World Leisure Organisation has appointed its first woman Chair - Canadian Professor Joanne Schroeder, along with a newly elected Vice-chair and its re-elected Treasurer.

Schroeder, Professor at the Department Recreation and Tourism at the World Leisure Centre of Excellence (WLCE) at Vancouver Island University in Canada’s British Columbia, has occupied the Vice-Chair position during the past twoyear term.

In addition, Dr Lawal Marafa, Professor and Director of the Master of Social Science in Sustainable Tourism of The Chinese University of Hong Kong has been elected Vice-chair for the next three years while Yvonne Klerks, Lecturer and Coordinator of International Relations at the Academy for Leisure & Events of Breda University of Applied Sciences in the Netherland (also a WLCE), has been re-elected for a new term as WLO Treasurer.

The Australian Sports Commission Board has appointed Robert Dalton as acting Chief Executive of Sport Australia, replacing Kate Palmer, who left the role earlier this year.

Dalton has been a Senior Partner at global consultants EY for 25 years where he focused on leadership, governance, strategy, audit and entrepreneurship.

He is also non-Executive Director of the Richmond Football Club and Chair of Richmond’s facility management enterprise Aligned Leisure.

He has stood down from his role as Chair of Hockey Victoria while working for Sport Australia.

Former ASM Global executive voted on to Brisbane City Council Former ASM Global (Asia Pacific) Communications Manager, Greg Adermann has been elected as the Pullenvale Ward Councillor with the Brisbane City Council.

Adermann resigned from ASM Global in late January after being preselected by the Liberal National Party to contest the Ward, which covers more than 300km² in Brisbane western suburbs.

Speaking after his electoral win, Adermann sympathised with his former colleagues in the venue management industry currently dealing with the shutdown of sport and entertainment events as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Adermann advised “I’ll miss working in such a great industry and for a fantastic company in ASM Global, particularly Harvey Lister and Rod Pilbeam, and I wish them every success in the future.” Send your people news to leisure@ausleisure.com.au

Vale: Sports administrator Andrea Mitchell Sports administrator and former Western Australian Government Minister Andrea Mitchell has died at the age of 64 as a result of a longtime heart condition.

A physical education teacher who later moved to the Western Australian Department of Sport and Recreation, initially as a consultant and then in managerial positions, Mitchell went on to join the Tennis West Board in 1988. She took on the Vice President role in 1991, then became the first female President in the association’s history in 1996. She spent 12 years in the President role and was also a Director of the Hopman Cup.

Mitchell later served on the Tennis Australia Board from 1997 to 2007, becoming the first woman to attend a Tennis Australia Board meeting in a representative capacity, and was a board member for the Australian Sports Commission.

Otium Planning Group’s Yvette Audet appointed IAKS Ambassador for Australasia Yvette Audet, Senior Consultant at Otium Planning Group, has been appointed the Australian and New Zealand ambassador for the International Association for Sports and Leisure Facilities (IAKS).

The role will see Audet liaise with other countries in obtaining global trends and discussing best practice approaches for aquatic, fitness, recreation and sport facilities while also creating an Australasian alliance of members encouraging global networking for planners, architects, engineers, clients, designers, operators as well as sports federations, associations and clubs.

YMCA South Australia has appointed David Paterson as its new Chief Executive Looking to grow the reach and positive impact of the Y across South Australian communities, Paterson advises “I want to ensure that the Y grows and continues to strengthen communities across the State.

“We have an amazing 175-year history of global impact (with) YMCA South Australia … one of the first YMCA’s in the world and the first to be established outside of Europe, way back in 1850.”