I am a life member of the Ovens and Murray Water Polo Association and have been involved as a player, coach and committee member for fifty years gaining great enjoyment, success and friends from this sport.
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I introduced my son and four daughters to the sport and with the encouragement and expertise of the Ovens and Murray coaches and community they have all played at an elite level.
Water polo is always a talking point around the table when we have family get togethers as this sport has played a major role in their upbringing.
The values that have been learnt through the sport have been substantial. Now my grandchildren participate in the sport with aspirations of pursuing it as far as they can.
I would like them to continue this pathway with the opportunity to follow their dreams. However, the future in water polo looks bleak for them if the stated fees come in because this great sport, with all its history and glory, will crumble under the financial strain.
This is all due to a bad decision by the Albury and Wodonga City Councils to approve a tender to a city bandit that wants to run a country facility at city prices.
I am also the head coach of the Albury Swimming Club (for past ten years). Next year will be the 100th birthday of this very proud club. A club that, for the past 99 years, the local council has had the wisdom to allocate free lane space because they were able to see the value in the vital service the swim club has given thousands of swimmers, families and the broader community.
Albury Swimming Club has produced six Olympic representatives from this free lane space. Now, I won’t get to blow the candles out on the cake, with all the past and present swim club members at the centenary, as the crippling burden of lane hire fees will simply make our club unsustainable.
I am also a director of Gould Swim Academy, a private learn to swim school that has been operating for almost ten years in the local community. It has been operating at capacity for the past four years with a lengthy waiting list (an all-year round public aquatic centre would help to alleviate this).
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Most of the swimmers who graduate from the learn to swim lessons progress to a local swim club to continue swimming competitively and/or join a local water polo club. They will not have this option if the swim clubs and the water polo association drown under the weight of unreasonable costs.
It was probably a wise move to teach the children about ‘river safety’ during last week’s Safety Week as that will be the only swimming option they have soon.
Tremendous history and participation in the local community for 100 years will be wiped out by a short-sighted and poor decision by our two mayors and councils. The local aquatic fraternity are feeling ignored again.
C’mon Kevin, take off your Bells y-front undies and slip on some speedos!
Wayne Gould, East Albury
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