People In Memoriam

Don Hartley

Aquatic and recreation entrepreneur, Don Hartley has died at the age of 63 as a result of cancer.

A pioneer in the contract management of aquatic, recreation and sport facilities in Australia and later the co-founder of leading industry technology company Links Modular Solutions, Don will be remembered as an industry innovator whose lowkey management approach inspired many in the industry.

Privately, Don was also a longstanding rock drummer.

Don co-founded Leisure Management Services in 1995 (which continue to operate facilities today), before his experience with the technological needs of facilities led him to co-found Links Modular Solutions in 1999. Links then went on to sell their market-leading software company to Transaction Services Group in 2016.

Don maintained his industry activities with locker and security company Metra Australia, while also leading Leisure Management Services’ interest in a new facility with Bayside City Council.

Jeroen Jongejans

Following his unexpected death while paddleboarding in February, New Zealand tourism leader Jeroen Jongejans has been remembered for his innovation and passion. Jeroen launched Dive! Tutukaka, New Zealand’s largest diving operator in 1999 and was also responsible for launching Northland tourist ventures Perfect Day Ocean Cruise and Lodge9. Jeroen and his partner Kate had also bought the tour operator Niue Blue shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic, in a bid to extend their tourism investments beyond New Zealand’s borders.

Ken West

Ken West, co-founder of Australia’s Big Day Out festival, has died, with his family advising that he “passed away peacefully” at the age of 64, in April.

A statement from the family confirming Ken’s death advised “we bring unfortunate news that Ken West; a father, husband, mentor and most of all a legend, has passed away peacefully in his sleep on the morning of April 7 2022. Ken was big and noisy in life, but passed quietly and peacefully.”

Big Day Out was originally created in 1992 by Ken and fellow promoter Vivian Lees as a one-off event in Melbourne. The following year, the event expanded to Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth with both The Gold Coast and Auckland added in 1994. The fitness industry is paying tributes to John Holsinger, the long-time Asia Pacific Director of the International Health, Fitness, Racquet and Sports Club Association (IHRSA), who died following a motorcycle accident in Western NSW.

Sydney-based Holsinger, who had performed his role for IHRSA over the past 16 years, is widely credited for influencing clubs and their success across the AsiaPacific region and IHRSA’s visibility in key nations including China, Japan, Singapore and Australia.

Prior to joining IHRSA in 2015, John was Vice President International and Managing Director, Asia Pacific for Life Fitness, with responsibility for three subsidiaries and 10 distributors covering 24 Asian countries.

Daphne Pirie

Daphne Pirie AO MBE - a former Queensland Academy of Sport board member and women’s elite sport pioneer - died at the start of April at the age of 90.

Daphne was an inductee of the Queensland Sport Hall of Fame and the Hockey Queensland Hall of Fame, President of the Gold Coast Sporting Hall of Fame, founding President of Womensport Queensland, and the first female Vice-president of the Queensland Olympic Council.

Queensland Academy of Sport Chief Executive Chelsea Warr described Pirie as a pioneer in Queensland women’s elite sport.

Kevin Rubie

Kevin Rubie, the former owner and driving force of The Big Banana attraction on the NSW Mid North Coast has died at the age of 89. Kevin, who retired in 2015, was well known in Coffs Harbour as having been the sole owner and operator of The Big Banana from 1993 to 2005.

After purchasing The Big Banana in 1993, Kevin made a number of improvements to the attraction which included the installation of the Wiegand Family Toboggan Ride, an ice rink and an indoor snow slope, which was later converted into a paint ball arena.

In 2005, he decided that the best way for the iconic ‘big thing’ attraction to reach its full potential was to introduce a partner into the business and so entered into a joint venture with The Village Building Co. Ltd (VBC).

The joint venture arrangement continued until 2016 at which time Kevin retired and VBC took over full ownership and control of the business.