Community
20 December, 2024
Pool marks 60 years
LISMORE Outdoor Swimming Pool is celebrating a major milestone this year, with special activities to be held throughout the season and a special banner on display.
The Lismore pool, which is classed as a war memorial pool, was opened on December 6, 1964.
Pool manager Nigel Hooker said the milestone made him “so proud” and added on to the 50-year celebration 10 years ago.
“When we celebrated 50 years, we made a banner to celebrate,” he said.
“This is part of our 10 year’s down the track – I was also here for this day, and I’ve been here for a long time.
“Some of the school kids had signed this – anyone who was here on the day of our 50th hopefully signed it.
“We got as many as we could to sign on the day.
“One of the ladies, who was also here on the day, she has taken this banner back and she had some material left over from when she did this 10 years ago – she’s altered for the 50th and the 60th birthday party.”
The banner was put up as a display item for the history of the pool.
In addition to the banner, the pool celebrated the milestone with a cake cutting and a free sausage sizzle for those attending the first day of the Lismore pool season.
Other events will be held across the 2024/2025 season to mark the occasion, with a photo board being put together to show a timeline of the pool’s history.
Mr Hooker said the banner is also part of the history, with two names on the banner having gone on to patrol the pool they loved as kids as lifeguards.
“There’s a couple of people who have passed away since on there who were regular users – they were a big part of the community,” he said.
“It’s funny how the pool impacts on all sorts of things, especially in country towns. That’s why it’s a big deal for us.
“The other thing is there’s been a lot of support for the pool over the years – the improvements and the facility in general.
“I think it’s the nicest one in the shire, and I think it deserves the attention it’s getting as a reminder of how quickly time passes, and what we’ve got and what we can’t lose.
“This is pretty much what we’ve got for summer time.”
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