Cowra Aquatic Centre appoints new management

Published on 09 August 2023

Cowra Shire Council has taken the next steps with a new contract for the management and operation of the Cowra Aquatic Centre after conducting a tender process to ensure the best outcome for the local community.

Council awarded the contract to the Leisure and Recreation Group (L&R Group), a family owned and operated business, that currently runs seven facilities across regional NSW including aquatic centres and pools in Cobar, Cootamundra, Condobolin, Lake Cargelligo and Ungarie. Now Cowra can be added to that list.

“Council sees this as a positive move for the Cowra community and we will now move to the next step of transitioning the management of the Cowra Aquatic Centre to the Leisure and Recreation Group said Cowra Shire Council General Manager, Mr Paul Devery.

General Manager of the Leisure and Recreation Group, Mr Angus Westaway was pleased with the new acquisition and can’t wait to take over.

“L+R Group manage a family of seven community facilities for regional councils. Our high-performance management philosophy drives L+R venues to deliver safe, fun and healthy environments,” said Mr Westaway.

And while entry fees are set by Council there are numerous initiatives the new operators are looking to adopt to encourage more locals to come to the Cowra Aquatic Centre.

“Throughout this process, Council has sought to get the best result including not just price but also service quality,” said Cowra Shire Council General Manager, Mr Paul Devery.

“Council expects that local employees will continue to be engaged by the new operator and we thank the Leisure and Recreation Group for their commitment to a successful and seamless transition,” he said.

With warm weather already approaching, both Mr Devery and Mr Westaway are hopeful even more residents may join up and take advantage of this great community space.

“We have the freedom as a smaller organisation to move fast and respond to community needs. Our staff will be dedicated to this community and this facility, the people of your local government area. We can act fast without corporate barriers and we pride ourselves on having more daily operational visibility to ensure safety and compliance are championed,” said Mr Westaway.