Great comparison
I ATTENDED the extraordinary meeting of the council on February 12, not as a supporter of the petition but as a person who opposed its thrust.
The Friends of the Pioneer Settlement also attended and I know that they wholeheartedly support the proposed project and we all have the future of the settlement as part of our thinking.
They were excited and are presently disappointed.
I wonder how many attendees have recently been to the settlement or are Home Town Heroes? I did not recognise any regular faces from the settlement at the meeting apart from volunteers and staff.
I also wondered how many signatories to the petition were coerced or intimidated or have seen the projected plans and ideas? I am also wary of signing petitions.
We have council administrators and elected councillors to consider all aspects of projects and must trust their decisions, even if we don’t agree with them.
Unsatisfied, then don’t re-elect them.
I have been a volunteer at the settlement for almost three years, working at least three days a week and welcomed the idea of a new building on site that united so many aspects of the area; gallery, information centre, indigenous culture and a new entrance to the settlement.
Virtually a one-stop-place to see so much, and to walk from a new modern building into the settlement would be such a great comparison, walking from one modern era into the pioneer past.
I hope common-sense prevails as we move into an exciting future of renewal and trust.
Don Brown,
Swan Hill
Stating our position
THE Friends of the Pioneer Settlement, the group of passionate volunteers who complete a range of different activation, preservation and interpretation onsite, would like to make public comment on the recent events surrounding the development of Our Place within our boundary.
We appreciate the town’s enthusiasm for Pioneer Settlement. It’s been lovely to see, however at times we have felt personally attacked which has been disappointing for many volunteers.
After attending recent meetings, we feel compelled to state our position and clarify things a bit.
We support the project overall on the proposed existing site.
We admittedly have had much longer to process this than the general public as we have been kept in the loop for well over 12 months.
We have had time to look at all the pros and cons. We believe all obstacles can be overcome in the further designs being developed.
Like others, our greatest concern is the connection to the PS Gem and meetings with the architect give us confidence it will be well-managed.
This is an exciting project for the region and its the generation after us that needs to be the long-term focus, not us.
We want the settlement to live a long and healthy life that meets the needs of all visitors.
As those on the ground day in day out giving our time, some for more than 30 years, we have seen first-hand the shift in visitors and how they interact with our site.
We would certainly hate to lose the funding altogether and damage Swan Hill’s reputation for future funding at the same time.
We love and are proud to be volunteers of such a great attraction for the region, we wouldn’t do it if we didn’t love the place — it’s not just the free lunch we come for!
Peter Pryor,
President
Friends of Pioneer Settlement
Pool is critical
I WRITE this letter with great concern.
The proposal to replace the current outdoor pool in Swan Hill with a lesser facility (a 25-metre pool) is very disappointing.
The Swan Hill 50m pool is the only 50m pool in the Swan Hill Rural City Council area. To even suggest replacing it with a 25m pool seems very short sighted.
It is critical that on replacing the current pool, the council need to commit to building a complex that surpasses the current one.
It is important that Swan Hill and close regional towns do not lose access to a 50m pool within the local government area.
The current pool is utilised for school sporting events, local, district and regional competitions. Families travel from as far as Murrayville in the far west, Mildura in the far north and the Central Goldfields in the south to compete at swimming meets held in Swan Hill.
The pool is also critical to holding carnivals in line with Swimming Victoria’s long-course requirements, to build a pool that does not meet these standards seems crazy to me, as doing this would result in a loss of patronage and also impact people visiting and spending money in Swan Hill.
There has also been so much media coverage over aquatic education and safety, building a lesser facility will only reduce the capacity for aquatic education within schools, this is of great concern.
You only need to go to the leisure centre at 5.30pm to see the swimming club, swimming lessons, water aerobics and recreational swimmers fighting for space.
Building a 50m pool that also has the capacity to take the chill off the water (solar heated) would make a huge difference to the activities that could be catered for both indoors and outdoor.
It would also encourage increased patronage as it would be a more user friendly and enjoyable facility to visit.
Another argument for building an improved facility is the scary statistics on inactivity, obesity and mental health issues sweeping the area. The only way to encourage participation in an active lifestyle is to have a facility that has the space to provide for all user groups.
The statement of “synchronise all aquatic and leisure facility contracts” is also a major concern for the smaller community-run pools of Manangatang and Nyah.
Our small towns need to retain control over the pool, this way we can tailor hours and events on a communities needs basis.
I can only hope that council listens to the community and can have the good sense in building a better facility that includes a 50m outdoor pool with the capacity to heat, which would accommodate all user groups, from competitive swimming to aquatic education, from water aerobics to the recreational user and the ability to hold fantastic community events like the Swan Hill triathlon, which encourages an active lifestyle.
Sarah Plant,
Manangatang resident and frequent user of Swan Hill and Manangatang pools
Manangatang pool vice-president
Physical education teacher
Need a
50-metre pool
IN response to the article in The Guardian on February 12 (Pooling into one, page 6), the community and surrounding communities of Swan Hill need a 50-metre pool.
The proposal to no longer have a 50m pool will put a stop to Swan Hill being able to hold swimming activities, that benefit the communities wellbeing financially, emotionally and physically.
Currently, primary and secondary school divisional swimming and both regional primary and secondary school swimming sports are held at Swan Hill.
Without a 50m pool, schools in Swan Hill and surrounds will be required to travel long distances to participate in these events. This will disadvantage many due to the distance and cost of travel.
Nyah Two Bays/Swan Hill Swimming Club hold swimming carnivals at the outdoor pool.
No 50m pool means no swim meets in our hometown and the inability to plan future meets.
The Swan Hill triathlon, that has been a great success over the past five years, uses the pool on a Saturday evening and again on a Sunday to run their events.
No 50m pool will impact the running of this event.
These events are all held in Swan Hill because of the access to the 50m pool. A number of people attending these events also stay and spend money on accommodation and visit the shopping precinct, so there is a flow-on effect from these events.
If a new 50m pool was established, in conjunction with the existing infrastructure at the leisure centre, then I can see the benefits of decommissioning the old pool.
A new 50m pool will be a greater asset to the community.
An additional 25m pool would only be replicating something that is already available and clearly too small as it is at full capacity mornings, afternoons and evenings.
It does not make sense to replace the current outdoor pool with a lesser facility, if a quality facility is built, it will get patronage.
Donna Barry,
Concerned parent and ratepayer
Give it a go
MAY I, through your newspaper, express my thanks to everyone who made the triathlon in Swan Hill possible, and such a great event.
Thank you to those people who must put in so much time and effort to organising and setting up this event, you do such a fantastic job and are to be congratulated.
To all the support workers and volunteers and to all the sponsors, this event happens because of you.
It is wonderful to see so many out supporting those in the events and the excitement in the park Sunday morning was very encouraging.
Together, with a friend, I participated in the 5km run/walk, and along the route there were volunteers giving you encouragement and cheer and drinks of water, it was a fun morning.
To anyone that is thinking about participating in 2021 Riverside Tri in Swan Hill, do it, don’t hesitate, just get out there and have a go, there are all ages, all abilities, all shapes and sizes and ages, and an event that will suit you.
Michelle Oliver
