THE Frankston Softball Association has taken home the Peter Norman Inclusion Award at the 2025 Victorian Sport Awards, presented by the Victorian Government and Vicsport on 13 May at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The award recognised the association’s partnership with Doable Australia, which created canteen volunteering opportunities for people with disability. Association president Terri Landt also works as Client Safeguards and Wellbeing Officer at Doable Australia, and said the idea had come to her ahead of an AGM.
“Prior to the AGM I saw an opportunity for clients with NDIS supports to help run the canteen. Getting volunteers on a regular basis is difficult, so enabling the clients we support at Doable Australia to volunteer in the canteen during games made a lot of sense. It is a very meaningful task – a player comes to the canteen asking for a drink and a person we support is able to serve them. This took over 12 months to get off the ground,” said Landt.
Significant groundwork went into the program before anyone started a shift, including risk assessments, mock practice sessions and a rethink of how the register worked.
“Frankston Softball Association identified that a standard register does not work and purchased an iPad screen with pictures to help the people we support identify what customers would want. Customer service, cash handling, food handling and use of technology have been some of the skills the people we support have gained. Veronica and Marcus were named as Canteen Managers for the 2025-26 season,” said Landt.
Landt said the response from players had been overwhelmingly positive.
“All the players, from Frankston Softball and other associations, are very welcoming to the people we support running the canteen. Players and officials make sure they go to the canteen to say hello. The people we support at Doable Australia feel empowered and speak very fondly of working in the canteen,” said Landt.
With other associations already reaching out to learn from the model, Landt said genuine buy-in from the outset was the most important ingredient.
“Anyone who is interested in this program should definitely buy into it. It is imperative that the association has a partnership with the organisation they are working with. Our program works because Frankston Softball Association buys into it. We have someone – mainly myself – working together every week with the clients in the canteen. The people we support are members of Frankston Softball Association and are invited to be part of the association and all its events,” said Landt.
Landt said the program had changed the culture of the club.
“It helps to break down the barrier between mainstream community members and people with disability. The people we support at Doable Australia have a valued place in the community and it offers them opportunities to experience volunteering which is meaningful and needed,” said Landt.
Two other Mornington Peninsula winners were also recognised on the night. Mornington Life Saving Club won the VicHealth Sport and Active Recreation Initiative of the Year for its Schools Program.
Sorrento sailing twins, Henri and Miles Levenspiel, claimed Young Team of the Year for a 2025 season that included first junior at the Australian 9er National Championships, the Victorian 29er State Championship, the Victorian Youth Championship and representing Australia at the 29er World Championships in Portugal.
First published in the Frankston Times – 26 May 2026
