Pool’s future still in doubt

By Ed Merrison
BUILT by the community for the community and loved for 50 years, the Seville Pool now needs the support of community members to ensure its survival.
The pool, which opened on 29 December 1956, will celebrate its 50th birthday almost a month early this Friday, 1 December.
But in the same year the pool reaches this milestone, it has also been involved in a fight for its life.
The Seville Chamber of Commerce founded a subcommittee under the banner Save the Seville Pool earlier this year, prompted by warnings from the Shire of Yarra Ranges that attendance figures were down and there were structural problems with the facility.
Chamber secretary Robert Pace said the subcommittee held a public meeting on Wednesday, 1 November and will seek wider community involvement in the campaign in the New Year.
The aim is to decide on a collective vision for the pool’s future in view of competition from other pools in the region.
But Mr Pace believes the pool still has a great deal to offer, enjoying as it does a great location on a reserve next to two football grounds in the centre of the township.
The link to the Warburton Rail Trail promises passing tourists with an appetite and a need to cool off, so in some regards the future could be very bright.
But if doubt surrounds the pool’s future, one thing is certain – the past has been fantastic.
Peter Chandler, whose father Alf opened the facility as then ward councillor, has a strong family association with Seville and its pool.
“I learned to swim there, my children learned to swim there and now my grandkids are starting to learn to swim there,” he said.
Mr Chandler recalls old friend Ian Cox who would pack a picnic tea and come all the way from Blackburn on weekends to spend his days by the pool.
Then there are the families who put in so many hours to build it.
“I remember as a kid being involved, digging holes and watching the men put in all the infrastructure,” Mr Chandler said.
“So much time and effort went in, it was amazing.”
Graeme Johnson, who sits on the subcommittee, has seen many summers come and go at the water’s edge, and would like to see many more.
“It’s been the centre point for the social life of kids and families in the town and surrounding districts for 50 years,” he said.
“The important thing is the council sees it has a role in leading the community and ensuring the pool’s development over the next 50 years.”
Both Mr Chandler and Mr Johnson said it would be a tragedy if the township was to lose an asset passed down by the hard work and foresight of its forebears.
Mr Pace, who also learned to swim at the pool and fondly recalls afternoons whiled away in the water, harbours his own concerns about the future.
But he was present when 200 people attended the public meeting earlier this month, and the strength of the community and its recognition of this asset affords him some hope.
“We are very passionate to retain this icon of Seville,” Mr Pace said.
“It’s one of those pools built by volunteer labour by the community and we feel we should do everything we can to preserve this wonderful asset.”