savesunshinepool.com

[Save Sunshine Pool]

A tale of 2 cities and 2 pools...

or what you get in the east and what they try and put over you in the west.

Forty years ago two pools were designed.

One in Glen Iris and one in Sunshine. The pools were almost identical.

Forty years later the contrast between the western suburbs and the eastern suburbs couldn't be starker.

The Harold Holt pool is a well maintained and fully operating pool complex and public service. They have an outdoor 50 metre pool that is heated and open all year round.

In Sunshine all of the outdoor pools are closed.

Why haven't the Brimbank Council and the State Government politicians worked out ways of subsidising the Sunshine Swim and Leisure centre well enough to enable similar outcomes as they have done for the Glen Iris and surrounding community?

$0.2M subsidy in disadvantaged Sunshine for one indoor pool and a new toddlers/learn to swim pool while over in advantaged Glen Iris and Malvern $0.5M subsidy for a 50 metre outdoor pool which is open 12 months of the year, a heated 25m indoor pool, a diving pool, an indoor hydrotherapy pool, indoor and outdoor toddler pools and a sauna and spa. Activities and services include aerobics, aqua-aerobics, yoga, massage, swim lessons, school holiday programs, squad and triathlete training, Malvern Marlins Swimming Club and birthday parties. Over 40 fitness classes per week including aerobics, yoga, pilates, circuit, aquaerobics and older adults fitness.

Which community needs publicly funded services most? Malvern of course....

SHAME SHAME SHAME Brimbank Council and State government for letting this severe inequity occur.



"For Australians, the pool is a national entitlement and the ocean view a lifetime aspiration."
Jonathon Moore





SUNSHINE'S SISTER POOL IN GLEN IRIS:






SUNSHINE POOL:






The Brimbank Council are in the early stages of beginning the work which will see Sunshine's only outdoor pools covered permanently with concrete so that car parks can be placed over them.

Not far from Harold Holt pool in Ashburton they have 26 pools within a 5km radius...

Despite the horrendous turn of events and overwhelming factual information that declares that Sunshine needs more pool space we are surrounded by major obstacles.

Key identities in our community are doing everything they can to ensure that the outdoor pool is covered with car parks.

Why?

Here is a snapshot of what has gone on in the past week or so alone:

- Our Mayor, who you think might see the sense in having one outdoor pool in our neighbourhood, confronted 2 residents who have being trying to save the pool. He told them that they were trouble makers, that a politician was behind them, that they were a minority group of only a handful of people. He told them that the petitions signed by 6000 local residents who want to save the pool were meaningless.

- Our town engineer and our town parking officer insisted that the outdoor pool must be covered with car parks first and that the available car parking space and empty paddocks behind the pool were not being used for car parking because. "We are saving these for more parking space in the future...!"

- When asked why the council was not providing an outdoor pool for the Sunshine community our councillor for the area Ian Douglas stood up at council and answered with reference to the Brimbank Aquatic Strategy. The thing is, anyone who particpated in the Brimbank Aquatic Strategy would know that the Sunshine Pool was not allowed to be discussed by the consultants or included in their report. More about this here. Council still refuse to consult with the broader community.

- Some of the staff at the Sunshine Pool (not all) have been telling users of the indoor pool that members of the community are slowing down the process of the pool re-development. Strange in that Brimbank council was going to completely close the indoor pool in 2004. The pool staff would have been out of a job this year if it wasn't for the community fighting to keep the pools open and have them repaired...



26 pools within a 5 km radius in the east

Sunshine has the least aquatic facilities in Victoria

Sunshine our outdoor pool swill be concreted over

And our mayor would like to paint the people who want the pool fixed as troublemakers with a political agenda!

Come on Sam, look at the facts. We just want a pool so our families can have decent swim like those in the more organised municipalities.

If you believe any items in this newsletter are not accurate or complete please post a follow up with corrections/additions/amendments.
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Brimbank has a population of over 170,000 people and has only one outdoor pool. Most other councils have 5 - 12 outdoor pools. Brimbank also has close to the worst health status in Victoria. But the Council and the State Government demolished 3 outdoor pools in Sunshine.

A 25 Metre pool is now finally scheduled to be built at Sunshine and opened in November 2008

Join in the campaign to have the pools repaired or replaced properly now!

[Cant believe it]

I just heard about this on the radio. I cant believe its true. I thought the council was fixing the outdoor pool from the ads in the paper. If they put a car park on the 50 meter pool someone should go heads should roll. Whoever thought of this is sick in the head. I agree SAVE THE POOL

Jules

[Jules]

and that natalie sulman on the radio. She has done nothing accept vote for everything in sydnham where she lives but us in sunshine get nothing.

[westie]

That says it all doesnt it 26 pools in a 5km radius at ashburton, the glen iris 50meter outdoor pool heated all year round and in brimbank only 1 outdoor pool and the council wants to build a car park on the sunshine pool. and brimbank is one of the biggest populations. next largest is geelong

[Lilly]

Firstly, I can't understand how Natalie Suleman could say on the radio that it was only a handfull of people causing trouble with the Sunshine Pool. I was there at the meeting. It was standing room only. Old and young.

Secondly, why didn't Councillor Doglas himself get on the radio to counter what the residents had said the day before? Isn't he the person who represents the constituent that the Pool is under?

Finally, I would encourage everyone to talk to your neighbours, your shop keepers, your friends in the area. Let them know what's really going on and how unfairely we have been treated as a community.

Our community have just as much right to swim in an outdoor pool after school and on the weekends as they do in the eastern suburbs without driving 20 minutes or taking public transport to another suburb.

We don't need another invention, we just need to have fixed what is broke.

And, considering the Victorian government and Brimbank's $$$$' surplus, surley a portion could be funded the pool's way.

[Nick P]

This is typical for the west. Labour dumps all the losers here and only property developers get any favours. They dont care about the people who live here and never will.

[LOCAL]

I cant believe it, what do we have to do to get help. This is just ridiculous, we need this pool. If you want something in the west, you have to fight for it - Never give up.