People in brief, VALE

A fan-favourite of TV’s Bondi Rescue, Waverley Council Lifeguard Terry ‘Tezz’ McDermott died on 1st September after a two year-long battle with cancer. An announcement on the official Facebook page for Bondi Rescue Lifeguards stated that “the lifeguard world is mourning the loss of one of the nicest watermen to don a jersey.” The valediction went on to remember McDermott as a “selfless man” who “saved countless lives during his career spanning more than 30 years working at many different beaches.”

Tezz spent 20 years working as a lifeguard on the Central Coast and 10 years patrolling the famous Bondi Beach, appearing on several seasons of Bondi Rescue as well as the spin-off series, Bondi Rescue: Bali.

Stephen Gregg

Tourism industry leader Stephen Gregg has died after a lengthy battle with cancer at the age of 73.

Stephen was Chief Executive of Tourism Queensland for nearly seven years from August 1996 before roles as Chief Executive of Dreamworld and then Cairns and Mackay Airports.

He led the industry as Chair of the Queensland Tourism Industry Council for almost eight years, then as the Chair of both Events Queensland and Tourism Queensland, overseeing the successful merger of the two into Tourism and Events Queensland.

He also Chaired Tourism Tropical North Queensland and Queensland Rail and served as a Board member of Tourism Noosa. In 2015 he was awarded the industry’s highest honour, The Marie Watson-Blake Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Individual to recognise his extraordinary personal and professional achievements in Queensland and Australia’s tourism industry.

Michael O’Hara

The Exhibition and Event Association of Australasia (EEAA) has advised of the death of Michael O’Hara, who headed operations for many successful exhibitions and events in Australia, South-East Asia and New Zealand. A statement from the (EEAA) noted “the exhibition and event industry lost one of its true champions late last week, when Michael O’Hara passed away peacefully at home.

“He was diligent, direct, and always supportive of the teams around him. Michael headed operations for many successful exhibitions and events in Australia, South-East Asia and New Zealand.” Tourism New Zealand has appointed Angela Blair as their new General Manager International, responsible for the delivery of marketing activity in offshore markets and aviation partnerships. Richard Brown is the new Manager - Parks and Recreation at the City of Gosnells situated in Perth’s south-east. Aligned Leisure has promoted Simon Bryson to the position of General Manager - Operations. Leisure Strategies has appointed Anthony Burke as the new General Manager at Brisbane’s Mcleod Country Golf Club. ASM Global has announced Malcolm Caddies, Grounds Manager at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium, as General Manager of Sports Turf and Landscape at Kai Tak Sports Park in Hong Kong. Hills Shire Council has appointed Sarah Clarke as Centre Manager at the new Waves Fitness and Aquatic Centre. Amber Gardner has been appointed as the inaugural Chief Executive of Alpine Resorts Victoria - moving from the role of Chief Executive at the Mount Hotham Alpine Resort Management Board. Daniel Gschwind, the former Chief Executive of the Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC) has joined Griffith Institute for Tourism (GIFT) as a Professor of Practice. Yarra Ranges Council has appointed Leigh Harry, the former Chief Executive at Tourism Victoria, as the new Chair of Yarra Ranges Tourism Inc. Daphne Henderson has been promoted to the role of Chief Financial Officer at the Kardinia Park Stadium Trust. Attractions software platform ROLLER has announced the appointment of Bee Hepburn to the position of Chief People Officer. Jason Hill is the new Head of Commercial at Football NSW. Parks and Leisure Australia has named Sally Jarvis as its new Executive Officer for Queensland. The Board of Football Australia has revealed that the contract of James Johnson as Chief Executive has been extended until the end of 2024. Alison Jones has been named Project Coordinator for Collective Leisure. Yasmine Lintmeijer has taken on the role of Head of Fox Studios Australia. Orangetheory Fitness has appointed Kelly Lohr as the company’s Chief Marketing Officer to drive an evolved member experience, brand relevancy and company growth. Perth Racing has appointed Brock Neeling to the position of Racecourse Manager. The Waikato Chiefs Rugby Club has appointed Bill Osborne to the position of Chair. Viva Leisure has appointed Grace Ram as Cluster Manager. Big Red Group has appointed Brent Rutherford to the newly created role of Chief Technology Officer, to lead Australia and New Zealand’s largest experience marketplace through its next phase of growth. Australia’s largest regional accommodation provider, the G’day Group, has appointed Ben Simons to the newly created Chief Strategy Officer role and Stella Thredgold as a Non-Executive Director. Griffith City Council has appointed local resident Craig Tilston as the new Manager at Griffith Regional Aquatic Leisure Centre. Luke Tucker, the former Chief Commercial Officer of NRL club the Manly Sea Eagles has launched a new commercial consultancy picking up work with VenuesLive, the new operator of Central Coast Stadium. Golf Australia has announced the appointment of Cameron Wade as Executive Director of the Australian Golf Foundation.