Samantha Beckmann and 2 Bent Rods have been nominated in the 2018 What’s On 4 Kids awards supported by Muffin Break.
These national industry awards celebrate and showcase the hard work, determination and achievements of many small businesses, dedicated to giving children a strong foundation in activities such as sport, music and arts.
Community votes and a judging process determine those best businesses based on merit and community support.
Ms Beckmann said the idea for 2 Bent Rods came in 2004, after taking her family to Wellington Point to go fishing.
“After spending the day yabby pumping and dragging a bait net with not only our kids but it seemed like everybody’s kids that were at the beach that day, we realised there was a need to introduce kids to the environment and what better way than through fishing?” she said.
Winter fishing starts after the July holidays and will be held at various locations each weekend running from a different beach to give participants an idea of what is available in their local area.
Participants will learn everything from reading the beach to gathering their own bait and species identification. There will be knot tying, rod casting and tips to help children catch more fish.
“They learn about effects of rubbish in our waterways as well as sustainable fishing practices,” Ms Beckmann said.
Last year 2 Bent Rods won best school holiday activity. It has also been nominated for best local school aged activity for five to 12 years and most outstanding activity leader for five to 12 year olds.
“It is great to have that feeling of validation, knowing the public and your peers are supportive of your work.” Ms Beckmann said.
What’s On 4 Kids founder Elise Easdown said the awards were made up of various categories each representing particular areas of business including best national school aged activity, most outstanding activity leader and best family day out.
“The What’s On 4 Kids awards are all about recognising excellence, passion and commitment by the kids activity industry in Australia and each year I am blown away by the standard of applications. Nominations this year have exceeded our expectations by showing just how valued and sought after these award winning titles are for the industry” Ms Easdown said.
