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As part of the Embracing 2018 Legacy Program’s goal of building inclusive communities that are active and engaged, GC2018 brings Outdoor Table Tennis in Ascot’s Oriel Park.

Aside from being a huge sporting event, the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018) also serves as a unique opportunity to inspire the community to be more active and to live a healthier lifestyle. Several infrastructure projects have been added to several communities including 12 tables for outdoor table tennis in different Brisbane parks.

The Legacy Program initiative is a great way to support the sports and recreation industry and amplify people’s interest in sports before, during, and after the Games. Each of the projects under the Embracing 2018 Legacy Program is meant to be sustainable to provide facilities that people can utilise to stay active for a long time.

Table tennis is considered to be one of the most accessible Commonwealth Games sports. It allows the participation of people with varying fitness levels and ages. The installation of new tables for outdoor table tennis aspires to provide an environment where different cultures and demographics can come together and have fun while staying active.

All of the tables will be permanently available for public use as it is one way for the Brisbane City Council to create a new lifestyle and leisure opportunity.

Aside from Oriel Park in Ascot, outdoor table tennis tables are also installed at Downey Park in Windsor, E.E. McCaskie Oval in Kelvin Grove, Graceville Riverside Parklands at Simpsons Playground in Graceville, Greenways Esplanade Park in Parkinson, Guyatt Park in St Lucia, Kuringgai Park in Fitzgibbon, Kangaroo Point Cliffs Park (lower) in Kangaroo Point, Orleigh Park in West End, Teralba Park in Everton Park, W.A. Jolly Park in Lutwyche, and Yimbun Park in Sunnybank.

You can bring your own table tennis bats and balls or you can borrow from local ward offices which includes Bracken Ridge, Calamvale, Enoggera, Hamilton, Marchant, McDowall, Paddington, Runcorn, Tennyson, The Gabba, and Walter Taylor.

This legacy project is supported by the Queensland State Government in partnership with the Brisbane City Council. The delivery of the project is also part of the Public Domain Improvement Program (PDIP) which funds minor capital works that provide a range of long-lasting benefits to the community. The project also aims to provide the best possible experience to visitors of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018).

Location: Oriel Park, Reeve St., Ascot

Emily Seebohm, holder of 11 national swimming titles and daughter of a swimming teacher from Ascot State School, has definitely made her mother and her country proud.

Seebohm and her siblings received their first swimming lessons from their mother Karen, a qualified learn-to-swim teacher currently working at Ascot State School. Considered one of Australia’s most versatile professional swimmers, Seebohm has come a long way from those first lessons, making a name for herself in competitive swimming, especially in the Backstroke events.

Seebohm was just 14 years old when she won her first national 100m Backstroke title. Just recently, Seebohm swam her way to her eleventh title in the Commonwealth Trials. She is getting ready to defend her title in the coming Commonwealth Games, determined to maintain her perfect gold medal record in the 100m Backstroke event for the third time.

Credit: Facebook/Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games – Channel 7

Proving her versatility as a professional swimmer, Seebohm also won the 50m Backstroke and ranked second in the 200m Backstroke, just a whisker ahead, at 0.01 seconds, behind the 16-year-old Kaylee McKeown who took first place. She also made it to the finals of the 100m Freestyle and 50m Butterfly at the trials.

The Pressure From Winning

This three-time Olympian admitted that the pressure of trying to maintain her winning streak is massive. She admitted that her nerves got the best of her at the recently concluded trials and this affected her performance in the events.

As one of the most experienced and most dominant swimmers in Australia, she recognizes the fact that her actual performance during the Commonwealth Games will be the ultimate pressure test. She said that McKeown’s win in the 200m Backstroke trials has also motivated her to do better in the Games.

World Records

Seebohm started her record-breaking streak in 2008. When she competed at the 2008 Brisbane Catholic Schoolgirls Championships, she managed to break the 50m Backstroke Commonwealth and Australian Records with her time of 28.10 seconds.

A few weeks later, she broke the World Record of  28.00 seconds in the 50m backstroke during the semi-finals of the 2008 Australian Championships, with a time of 27.95 seconds.

However, just a day later, Sophie Edington leapfrogged ahead when she clocked 27.67 seconds in the finals of the same event.

Seebohm chose not to swim in the finals to focus on the 100m Olympic backstroke event.  She made what she considers to be the right decision, clocking in at 59.78 seconds, the fifth-fastest of all time. This made her the first Australian woman to finish in under a minute.

Seebohm once again set a new world record at the 2009 Australian Short Course Championships, where she clocked 58.54 seconds in the 100m. This performance broke American Natalie Coughlin’s record of 58.80 seconds.

Since then, Seebohm has become one of the most decorated swimmers in Australia, delivering wins in the Commonwealth Games, the Olympics, and other events in between.

Event Schedules

Will Seebohm be able to maintain her perfect gold record in the Games? Cheer her on by watching her on the following dates.

All swimming events will be held at the Optus Aquatic Centre in Gold Coast. Plan your route to the venue with the help of the official Journey Planner from the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Don Meij, CEO of Domino’s Pizza, Australia’s largest pizza chain, has sold his home in Ascot for a record-breaking $11 million in an off-market deal.

The luxurious home is located in Sutherland Avenue, one of Ascot’s most prestigious streets. The sale beat the street’s previous record of $10.2 million.

Mr Meij reportedly made a $2,385,000 profit after selling the property since he originally bought the house for $8,615,000 in March 2016.

Interestingly, the sale came a few weeks after the Australian Financial Review reported that Mr Meij had taken out a mortgage on the house last January.

Patrick McKinnon, an agent of Coronis Hamilton, brokered the deal and told the Domain Group that Mr Meij was able to sell the house after receiving an off-market offer from a buyer.

According to Mr McKinnon, Mr Meij decided to sell the house because he travels a lot. Though the CEO loves his house, he has not spent much time there, so he chose to let it go and have a home that requires less maintenance instead.

Mr Meij had reportedly spent a considerable amount of money in upgrading the extravagant home that sits on 2,024 square metres of land. The house has six bedrooms with marble ensuites, resort-style gardens, an infinity pool, a pool house with an outdoor kitchen, and expansive verandas.

The customisations that Mr Meij had done added more value to the house, making it look even more amazing and desirable than it already was previously. The higher property value can be also attributed to value-added details like the high-class furniture and full electronics upgrade, as well as the addition of a wine room, and extra architectural detailing.

Given property sales such as this, industry watchers observe some serious wealth investing in Brisbane in recent months. According to real estate experts, more property sales in this price range are expected in Brisbane throughout the year.