Intrepid Community Instructor Megan Henry will spearhead a GolfWA expedition to deliver a series of golf clinics on Christmas Island and the Cocos Islands this month.
Thanks to support from the Department of Local Government, Sport & Cultural Industries (DLGSC), and assistance from the Shires of Cocos Keeling and Christmas Island, Megan will swap life in the Wheatbelt for 10 days in WA’s Indian Ocean Territories (IOT) as she aims to tempt a large portion of the islands’ combined population of 2000 to give golf a go.
Megan will fly into the Cocos Islands on June 11 ahead of three days of clinics in schools and at Cocos Islands Golf Club. She will then hop on a 980km flight to Christmas Island for a further week of instruction to children and adults in schools and at Christmas Island GC (pictured above).
Although the islands can be considered a slice of Paradise, Megan says she won’t have time for sightseeing or hanging out at the beach.
“I’ll be delivering MyGolf in Schools every weekday, as well as Get into Golf sessions for adults in the afternoons and weekends. There’s a lot to pack in, but I’m so excited to get there and share with the community what a great pastime golf is.
“Increasing golf participation through inclusion and fun is incredibly rewarding. As a Community Instructor, I’m extremely proud to create inclusive, fun and welcoming spaces in which all juniors and adults have the opportunity to try golf.
“Golf is a wonderful sport, but not everyone gets the chance to try it. I just love seeing the joy on a participant’s face when they hit an amazing golf shot during a session and realise how incredibly talented they are.”
Megan Henry’s visit to the Indian Ocean Territories will take her on a 7000km round trip
GolfWA has sporadically delivered golf clinics in the IOT before, but it is hoped this year’s visit will kickstart a more structured approach to increasing participation rates in the far-flung Australian islands, which have around 100 golf club members between them.
“Our goal is to raise awareness of and increase participation opportunities for golf in schools and the wider community,” said Marc Pike, GolfWA’s Game Development & High Performance Manager.
“In subsequent trips, we would like to run Community Instructor courses to upskill teachers and volunteers and increase our capacity to deliver MyGolf and Get Into Golf programs. This will create sustainable participation pathways across the IOT region and get more people on the golf courses.”
He added that Megan is the perfect choice to fly the flag for golf during her visit: “Megan is an outstanding ambassador and instructor. Her infectious love of the game and passion for working with communities will have a huge impact.”
We’ll report back on Megan’s trip later in June. You’ll be able to keep up with Megan on GolfWA’s Facebook and Instagram accounts while she’s away.
The services provided by the DLGSC in the Indian Ocean Territories (IOT) are delivered in partnership with the Australian Government through Commonwealth funding support.
