Newcastle resident wins Sydney Hobart race berth

by Sandra Wang on 8 Dec 2004 Brett Austine from Mark¹s Point, Newcastle, has today been announced as the winner of the Coca-Cola Community Award (Youth Activity stream) for his outstanding commitment to inspiring young people to lead healthy and active lifestyles.

Chosen from entries across the nation, Brett¹s prize is to be part of the Coca-Cola crew when they board ‘the active factor¹ yacht in the 60th Anniversary Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race which kicks-off on Boxing Day (26 December).

Brett¹s winning project is the Lakeside Trampoline Club, welfare based organisation that offers less fortunate and disadvantaged children and young adults the opportunity to develop fitness and social skills.

Through the trampoline club Brett has made a lasting impact on his students, encouraging them to achieve physical fitness while having fun.

‘I'm overwhelmed, this is an opportunity of a lifetime and I can't wait to grasp it with both hands! It is a significant experience where I will be working with a team of people to achieve a common goal, which will teach me invaluable leadership qualities and the importance of team work.

'This is something I will be able to take back into my classes,’ Brett said when asked about winning the Coca-Cola Community Award.

Last week Robert Swan, the first person to walk to both the North and South Poles and owner of ‘the active factor¹ yacht, visited Belmont High School to see Brett¹s project first hand. Based on this visit, Robert, together with the Coca-Cola Australia Foundation, selected Brett as the winner of the Youth Activity Award.

‘Brett is a true inspiration to not only the kids that he coaches in the Lakeside Trampoline Club, but also to all Australians. He is a marvellous example of how one person can make a difference. I¹m looking forward to being part of the crew with Brett during the race to Hobart!’ said Robert Swan.

‘the active factor¹ yacht has been involved in cleaning up the Antarctic, circumnavigating Africa and sailed over 23,000 nautical miles. The race will be another fantastic achievement in an already amazing journey and Brett will be a part of history,’ continued Robert

‘It is an honour to be chosen as the winner of the Coca-Cola Community Award for Youth Activity. It is so rewarding seeing the kids develop their confidence and fitness, it¹s great to have recognition for what we do here in Newcastle,’ said Brett.

‘We have found a deserving winner in Brett. He has shown dedication and innovation in his work getting young people active. I congratulate Brett on his achievement and ongoing success with the Lakeside Trampoline club,’ said Alec Wagstaff, Group Corporate Affairs Manager, Coca-Cola Amatil.

The 60th Anniversary Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is an iconic part of the Australian Summer, with the 628 nautical mile ocean crossing being one of the world¹s most demanding. Each year on Boxing Day, the world¹s eyes are on Sydney Harbour when the fleet sails out into the Tasman Sea and across the Bass Strait.

The yacht will carry the recycling logo when it hoists its revolutionary recycled PET sails.

‘Both the mainsail and yankee sail will have 25-30% recycled PET content, which we believe to be a world-first for racing yacht sails made from laminated sailcloth,’ said Justin Dock, Materials Scientist at Dimension-Polyant, who are responsible for manufacturing the sailcloth.

This yacht has the fortune to be the first yacht to carry this technology for racing sails, and it will be the only yacht in this year¹s 60th Anniversary Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race to incorporate this ground-breaking environmentally friendly technology,’ continued Justin.

The recycled PET sails enable Coca-Cola in Australia to promote public place recycling; drawing attention to the fact that PET is a resource that can be used perpetually.

In April 2004, Coca-Cola in Australia approached 50 councils nationally to form partnerships to implement public place recycling. Coca-Cola in Australia continues to work with local government and the relevant bodies to recover this material, and is committed to having recycling facilities in key public areas by December 2005.

The Coca-Cola Community Awards has been a national search by Robert Swan and the Coca-Cola Australia Foundation to find six unsung heroes around Australia making a difference in their local communities. Three finalists were chosen in each category of Youth Activity (those who promote physical activity for youth) and the Environment.

Each of the six finalists received a $5,000 grant from the Coca-Cola Australia Foundation for the organisation they represent. The winner of the Environmental Award (being announced on 20th December) will travel to Antarctica on a 16-day Antarctic clean-up expedition.

For more information about initiatives promoting active lifestyles from Coca-Cola in Australia visit www.activefactor.com.au.