The History of Lane Cove Aquatic Leisure Centre
The need for a pool 1959
The need for a swimming pool in Lane Cove had been proposed for a number of years, mainly from local primary schools such as Lane Cove Public, their argument being that children of all ages needed to learn to swim for safety reasons.
The Laying Of The Foundation Stone
"It transcends anything ever before attempted by Lane Cove Council as an amenity for the people of a swimming centre in the heart of Lane Cove, and will be a source of pleasure and usefulness to both the present and future generations of Lane Cove" proclaimed the Mayor of Lane Cove ‚ Ald. A. E. L. Griffith on an unusually sunny Saturday, 16th September, 1961.
Shortly before laying the foundation stone with a trowel, the Mayor announced that the pool was not built out of any ratepayer's purse, but completely from the profit of selling the Council's land in Mars Field.
The Official Opening
The guests at the opening of the Lane Cove Olympic Pool were required to squeeze into the foyer entrance of the pool on account of wind and rain on Saturday, 25th November, 1961. The minister for the Local Government (the Hon. P. D Hills, M.L.A) was introduced by the Lane Cove Mayor, Ald. Griffith, both congratulating Lane Cove Council for providing such a lovely pool for the
residents of Lane Cove. The minister for Local Government declared that the pool was built without a Government grant, but the three pools were all built completely from the Councils own funds and no charge to ratepayers.
First Swimming Carnival Held
On Saturday, 24th March, 1962, the first ever swimming carnival was held in Lane Cove Olympic Pool hosted by Marist Brothers School Vila Maria. With over sixty events held, the night began at 7:45 p.m. and was finished by 10:30 p.m., showing the efficiency of the pool.
Brand New 25m Pool To Be Constructed
In May of 1998, Lane Cove Council proposed to build a state of the art aquatic centre
to be located at the Olympic Pool, in place of the two, smaller children pools. The feature was to include pools, saunas, spas, a gymnasium and cafe with city views. The plans were adopted for public display soon after, and if to go ahead would be the biggest development since the pool was built in 1961.
Pool Opening Ceremony
The official opening of the Lane Cove Aquatic Centre was performed by Prime Minister John Howard on Saturday September 22 2001. Many swimmers and politicians were present for the opening of the pool, including Daniel Kowalski and Sarah Ryan.
BlueFit
A major change of management in 2007 to BlueFit has resulted in a number of operational changes at the facility, resulting in very strong growth in popularity of the facility. With a strong partnership with the Lane Cove Council and user groups including the Lane Cove Swim Club, designs are now in a conceptual phase for a major staged master plan re-development project to cater for the increase to 600,000 visitations the facility now accommodates. In the short term, the health club extension across the road adds a further 600sqm fitness space to the existing leisure centre and further increases the attendance capacity.
*Note* All of the above newspaper clippings and articles were obtained from the Local Studies section of the Lane Cove Municipal Library, in the form of a file. Many thanks to the organiser of this section of the library. Ryan Sparks
