Overview
Provided by Graham Wilson, 2017.
In February 1953, the Hastings Shire Council approved, in principle, an Olympic Swimming Pool at Wauchope. The Shire President, Councillor Bransdon opened a War Memorial Baths fund. The proposal was first adopted at a public meeting attended by 200 residents, called by Mr Allan Brunsdon. The Shire Engineer informed the Council in March the pool would cost £16,000, and suggested council borrow £20,000 to cover costs of dressing rooms etc. That August, Council adopted a motion proposed by President Bransdon that finance for the pool be provided on a 50-50 basis, half by the Wauchope Urban Area and half by the Shire. Mr J. B. Renshaw, Minister for Works and Local Government, informed the Hastings Shire deputation he was "prepared to grant a quarter of the cost of Wauchope Memorial Baths, to a maximum of £10,000"(Macleay Argus, 4 September 1953). Mr Renshaw authorised a grant of £6,250 towards the cost of the pool, in early December 1954.
The Shire of Hastings War Memorial Olympic Pool at Wauchope was officially opened by the Honorary J. F. McGrath, Minister for Public Works, on Saturday, 1 February 1958.
History
Provided by Michael Dodkin, 2020. Researched by Jeannette Rainbow and Daphne Salt, Wauchope District Historical Society.
Early timeline
- 1910 - First swimming baths in Wauchope were constructed when Council erected baths at the Rocks Ferry at Nicholas Cain’s gravel pit.
- 1916 - Nicholas Cain gave Council a lease to erect a bathing shed on the Rocks Ferry Peninsular.
- 1924 - Jack Graham held a public meeting to form a swimming club.
- 1927 - The bathing sheds were repaired.
- 1929 - Floods again washed the baths away.
- 1930 - Shark proof area was erected in the river below the area where tennis courts are located.
Like quite a few other coastal towns, prior to the First World War, Wauchope boasted a fenced swimming enclosure in the river at the Rocks Ferry, with a corrugated iron dressing shed on the river bank. This first tidal swimming pool was the former Nicholas Cain's gravel pit, located below Rocks Ferry Road. Volunteers had fenced off a bay as a precaution against sharks, for there had been two fatal shark attacks on unprotected swimmers in the Hastings waterways. In 1929, floods were again the destroyer of that swimming enclosure.
In 1930, a shark proof area was erected by Daryl Pead and Ion King in the river, below the area where tennis courts are located. A 'Learn to Swim’ programme was established. Image 6 above shows the original 'Wauchope Swimming Baths' on the bank of the Hastings River, c1938.
Planning for a memorial pool
On several occasions between 1947 and 1952, suggestions were made from several quarters to establish a swimming enclosure to take the place of the old river baths, which were again destroyed by floods. Following the formation of the 'Wauchope Memorial Baths Committee', a vigorous campaign was launched with the calling of public meetings.
Eventually the Hastings Shire Council, in response to a request from a deputation of citizens, agreed in principle to the proposal to establish a pool of Olympic standard. The council raised £20,000 by loan, and the NSW Government blessed the project by promising 25% of the cost, up to a maximum of £10,000.
On 9 July 1955, volunteers commenced the gigantic task of clearing 35 huge trees from the old school ground, which is now the site of the pool on Cameron Street in Wauchope. The amazing public interest in this voluntary work convinced the Council of the sincerity of the people, and their desire to see the pool built.
In 1956, plans were submitted to the Public Works Department for approval but were rejected. However, amended plans were approved on 17 December 1956. Council signed a tender for construction on 18 February 1957 and excavations commenced on 20 March 1957. With the assistance of considerable voluntary labour, work proceeded with such efficiency that the pool was ready for business on 1 January 1958.
The grand opening
The finished pool was 165 feet long (55 yards) by 50 feet wide. The depth varied from 3 feet, 6 inches to 11 feet, 6 inches. The two diving boards, a 3- and 1-metre, were a unique feature compared to other pools in the area. There was also a wading pool for younger children, measuring 35 feet by 25 feet, with a depth from 1 foot to 2 feet. Both pools were fully tiled. The main pool's length was converted from 55 yards to 50 metres to bring it up-to-date with Olympic standards, as the previous imperial measurements were no longer acceptable. Refer to 'Additional information' below for more specifications and costs.
'Unofficial' swimming was carried out in the pool in December 1957 and the first paying customers arrived on 1 January 1958. The popularity of the pool was immediately apparent, with 10,000 swimmers passing through the turnstiles in the first 15 days.
The pool was not officially opened until 2.30pm on 1 February 1958 to comply with a request from the new Minister for Public Works, Hon. J. F. McGrath. Image 7 above shows crowds gathered poolside for the occasion. His speech was quoted in the Hastings Shire Gazette on 6 February. He said:
I know this pool will mean a lot to the residents of the district, particularly children. It will not only bring added pleasure into your lives, but it will play a big part in preserving life. It is significant that this pool of modern Olympic standard has been built as a memorial to the men who gave up their lives at war. They gave their lives so that others could live in safety. I can think of nothing more appropriate than this pool as a memorial to those men because, due to its existence, others are going to save lives by knowing how to swim.
Minister McGrath also paid tribute to the wonderful voluntary efforts that had helped, in large part, to establish the pool, stating:
I have been shown the remarkable amount of voluntary work that has been carried out on the site and to the pool itself. It is indeed a credit to those responsible. The Wauchope District should be extremely proud that it has a diving tower which has been recognized as the best between Newcastle and Grafton.
Additional information
The capacity of the main pool is 340,000 gallons. The water is continuously filtered through graded sands and gravel, with alum added to assist the process of removing foreign material. Chlorine is injected for purification purposes and soda is added as a neutralizer. The pool water passes through filters two to three times per day.
Direct light of 23,000 watts is provided by 16 underwater and four overhead floodlights of 1,000 watts, plus 12 others at 250 watts each.
Establishment of the grassed area of 10,000 square feet and construction works including fencing and painting were carried out by voluntary labour.
Tributes to those who initially started the pool include, Allan Brunsdon, Ion King “Mr. Swimming”, and Rex Clarke, who passed away while taking swimmers to a country championship. Alf “Smacka” Trotter is also to be remembered by the thousand or more children he taught to swim.
The pool manager for the first 16 years, until his retirement, was Ken Passlow. He was followed by Reg O’Brien, Dave Smith, Col Stubbing and Brad Holt.
Water polo was conducted for a short time around 1991 but unfortunately lost its appeal.