
Today we are pleased to announce Darren McLachlan’s appointment to the Board of SwimmingSA.
Darren comes onto the Board filling the casual vacancy created by the resignation of Wade Zammit Meaney in November. Darren will serve in this role until the conclusion of Wade’s term of office at the 2026 AGM.
Darren is a highly respected figure in the swimming community, with a wealth of experience officiating at some of the sport’s most prestigious events, including the Olympic and Paralympic Trials (2012 and 2016), Australian Age Championships, and selection meets for international teams. His expertise also extends to open water events, where he has served as Chief Referee at the Australian Open Water Championships.
Beyond officiating, Darren has played a key role in mentoring and accrediting new officials in South Australia through the Technical Official Development Program and has supported the growth of junior officials through the Junior Whistleblowers program. In 2022, Darren’s contributions to swimming were recognised when he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia, and this year was the recipient of the Roger Smith Technical Official of the Year at the 2024 Swimming Australia Awards.
This month, we will also farewell our long serving retiring Events Manager Leanne Beames and Coaching and Pathways Coordinator Nick Mallia who is continuing his sporting admin career, accepting a position at Volleyball SA. SwimmingSA thanks Leanne for her dedicated service and we wish her all the best in her retirement adventures.
In a full circle moment, we are pleased to announce that Wade has been appointed to the Event Manager’s Role commencing this week. Wade brings extensive swimming experience and understanding of the community to the position, having previously worked with both SwimmingSA and Swimming Australia for a period of seven years. Most recently, Wade has held senior leadership roles, including Sport Operations and Commercial Manager at Adelaide University Sport and Fitness, and Events and Community Manager at Volleyball South Australia.
The board and staff of SwimmingSA look forward to working with both Wade and Darren in their new capacities as we continue to support and grow swimming in South Australia. We are excited to close out the year with those club committee members attending the upcoming Christmas catch up, as well as those attending the AGM in January where we look forward to recognising the incoming and outgoing Directors and Committee Members of SwimmingSA.
We thank all our Directors, State and Club committee members for their voluntary service, the sport would not be the same without you. SwimmingSA wishes all members a safe and wonderful festive season, see you in 2025!