Laurie Lawrence

Laurie Lawrence is best known as Australia’s Olympic and World Champion coach. A ‘maker of champions’, he is as inspirational in the sports arena as he is in the corporate world.

An international authority on swimming, Laurie’s coaching achievements boast 23 world records, 10 Olympic Gold, 11 Silver and 12 Bronze medals, while his list of proteges include Jon Sieben, Duncan Armstrong, Judy Young, Steven Holland, Tracy Wickham and Samantha Riley.

Known for his spirited personality, sense of humour and direct approach, Laurie’s impact on the business community has been quite spectacular. With a unique ability to draw clear parallels between business success and sporting achievement, Laurie examines the drive, commitment and discipline required to achieve goals. He sets his goals and encourages those within his influence to work towards personal perfection. And not only is he in demand, he gets results.

Laurie Lawrence firmly believes the cycle of business is no different to sport. It’s a cycle he refers to as “Dream, Plan, Work, Persist, and Refocus”. Dream, Plan Work, Persist, and Refocus – it’s a continuing wheel that just keeps rolling. Hard work, whether it’s physical or mental, stops when the training session is over or you lock the office. Laurie says, “Things of value don’t come by luck, they’re won by pain, persistence and sacrifices. Success is the celebration of preparation.”

Laurie has adopted a simple and eminently achievable approach. In fact, his unique approach is all about making targets within anyone’s reach and not too unrealistic; as long as you’re prepared to work your butt off and are willing to stop at nothing to make it happen. Laurie often says, “It all begins with a genuine desire to succeed. If that desire is there, it can be transformed into success”. But these words alone are only a glimpse of the passion Laurie displays when sharing his true life stories with others.

About Laurie Lawrence:

Early in his career, Laurie’s love of Rugby saw him overcome having one lung and being an asthmatic, to gain selection in the Australian Rugby Union side which toured New Zealand as the “Wallabies” in 1964.Laurie Lawrence’s energetic personality is capable of lifting spirits to soaring heights, a priceless attribute during Games time.

In 1988 Laurie was appointed Athlete Liaison Officer to the entire Australian Olympic team in Atlanta, with the brief to inspire and create an environment that would help each member of the team to achieve their personal best. For the Sydney 2000 Olympics, Laurie was appointed Olympic Liaison Officer with a brief to unite and inspire the Sydney team.

In Beijing at the 2008 Olympic Games, Laurie was stationed in the Athletes’ Village as the team motivator, a role he played in both Athens and Sydney. Laurie staged special events in the Village, formed team cheer squads, celebrated special events such as athlete birthdays, organised orientation tours for team arrivals and contributed to the daily team newsletter A.S.P.I.R.E.

Today, Laurie is a successful businessman operating his now famous Lawrence Learn To Swim School which also specialises in teaching physically disabled as well as speech and hearing impaired children.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree (James Cook University); a Diploma of Physical Education (Queensland University); Diploma of Teaching (Kelvin Grove College) and a Master Coach ASL.

Laurie is the recipient of numerous awards including National Sports Coach of the Year (1988), Advance Australia Award (1989), Queensland Father of the Year (1989), an Australian Achiever’s Award to celebrate his selection as a finalist in the Australian of the Year Award (1989) and in 2017 was recognised by the International Swimming Hall of Fame with a Gold Medallion for services to water safety, infant aquatics and elite swimming.