HUNDREDS of locals spilled onto the main drag of Werris Creek to celebrate the golden anniversary of, what some call, the premier sporting facility on the Liverpool Plains.
And in hushed tones some call it the finest pool in the New England North West region.
This weekend marked the 50th anniversary of the Werris Creek pool’s grand opening in 1968 and the establishment of the town’s swimming club.
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The pool is a source of pride and passion for The Creek with community driven tin-rattling raising about half the funds for the original build.
The golden jubilee parade had all the pomp and circumstance befitting the town’s “charity queens” who led the fundraising drive in the 1960s with, at times, heavy-handed measures.
Swim club assistant coach Sarah-Jane Bonner said urban legend spoke of a cunning heist carried out by the queens.
An equally legendary Werris Creek snowstorm in 1965 waylaid a train in the sleepy community and saw queens take to the carriages and “hold the train up like bushrangers” asking for small change for the cause.
Australian swimming icon Dawn Fraser visited The Creek this weekend for the celebration which also heralded a $224,000 grant from the state government for further upgrades.
Mrs Bonner said the money would “increase the swim season significantly”, going towards a new pool cover and water heating system.
Jacob McArthur
Jacob McArthur is opinions editor for The Canberra Times and Australian Community Media. As part of the Canberra Times' production team, he helps the people of Canberra and beyond get the stories they need, when they need them across a range of platforms, while helping maintain a high editorial standard. Before moving to Canberra in 2020, he started with Australian Community Media in 2015 as a journalist for The Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he kept a close eye on Tamworth Regional Council. Jacob was also the co-host of ACM's Water Pressure podcast where he and Jamieson Murphy took a deep dive on issues and key decisions arising during one of the region's worst droughts on record.
Jacob McArthur is opinions editor for The Canberra Times and Australian Community Media. As part of the Canberra Times' production team, he helps the people of Canberra and beyond get the stories they need, when they need them across a range of platforms, while helping maintain a high editorial standard. Before moving to Canberra in 2020, he started with Australian Community Media in 2015 as a journalist for The Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he kept a close eye on Tamworth Regional Council. Jacob was also the co-host of ACM's Water Pressure podcast where he and Jamieson Murphy took a deep dive on issues and key decisions arising during one of the region's worst droughts on record.
