Over the Christmas New Year period I took my grandchildren to the outdoor pool. The day was very hot, mid 30’s, a typical summer’s day. There were about 90 people in attendance, everyone trying to keep cool. The water was crystal clear, the surrounds neat and tidy. Everyone had sunscreen on, and most wore hats.
As I sat there, memories flooded back to the 1950’s and my childhood. During summer ‘the pool’ was the centre of the universe, after school it seemed as if everyone had only one place to go. Out the front there were hundreds of bikes. Inside, the big pool (no intermediate pool) was literally packed with hundreds of kids, there were so many it was actually hard to swim.
Down the deep end of the pool, it was just as packed. There would be a line waiting to have a turn on either the 1 metre or 3 metre diving boards. The naughty boys would double bounce the board before diving in, only to hear a voice over the PA ordering them out of the water. From the 3-metre board we would swallow dive, do bombs, double and even triple somersaults, many ending in painful belly whackers. I still shudder as I recall boys seeing how close they could dive to the edge without hitting it. OH&S issues weren’t an issue back then.
At 5 o’clock the mums would arrive and spread travel rugs out on the grass. At 6 o’clock the dads would come in with fish and chips, a special treat. After eating we had to play for an hour before being allowed back in the water. As it got dark (no daylight savings) we were reluctantly called out of the pool to go home. Remember, back then, very few homes had TV and air conditioning consisted of opening the front and back doors to let the breeze blow through. No one had a backyard pool, no iPhones or video games, we made our own fun and were never bored. We would get burnt red-raw, mum would rub a cut tomato on our backs, and then we would peel. Today, I’m quite sure that many of us are paying a high price.
How fortunate are we to still have an outdoor pool, along with both Talbot and Dunolly. Four generations of families have grown up creating lifelong memories at the Maryborough Olympic Pool and that is why we must ensure that this important social facility continues to have a future.
