I am a 65 year old retired nurse, and am deeply saddened at the prospect of the closure of Carss Park pool. For almost 30 years I have been swimming there all year round three times a week.
Rumour has it that an indoor Aquatic centre is planned to be built at Todd Park, Blakehurst; and that Carss Park pool will be demolished and replaced with a car park. What a crying shame!
Carss Park pool is in an idyllic setting, surrounded by mother nature. Many an early morning I have seen a flock of cockatoos rise and fly, the just risen sun giving them a golden glow against the blue sky. I see the clouds, the trees, and I breathe the fresh air.
Carss Park pool is a Memorial Pool to acknowledge and remember those brave people who died for their country; people who would be proud of places like Carss Park pool, and the great work done there over the years. It has a rich history of producing Olympian, National, and State swimmers under the coaching of Dick Caine. Thousands of children have learnt to swim there. Many strong friendships have been forged there over the three decades I have been swimming at the pool.
We need to be able to have time out, and connect with nature. You cannot connect with nature in an indoor steamy aquatic centre.
The endorphin (happy hormones)release I get from swimming at Carss Park pool is wonderful. For me, anxious by nature, and with a history of depressive illness, the swim is a balm for body and spirit. After my swim, I feel truly alive, alert, clear headed, re-charged and ready to meet the world again.
My little grandson, Tom enjoyed last summer at Carss Park pool. He would point up high in the sky when he saw a plane passing overhead, or a cockatoo landing on a tree. He won’t see that from an indoor aquatic centre. We have to think of the next generation. The Great outdoors belongs to them.
Mairead O'Connor, Carss Park
