DECEMBER 1999(No.3)

HEATING REPORT--VICTORY AT LAST!!

At last Monday’s full Council meeting Councillor Vicky King moved a motion which was unanimously supported by all Councillorsand which will result in the following at the Dapto pool:

* Commencement of a program to heat water and upgrade the circulation, filtration and treatment plant to current NSW Health Dept. guidelines.
* In principle, support be given for the enclosure of the 50m Pool and program Pool as per the Plan Option 3 – commencing in 2001/2002 financial year subject to appropriate design and funding arrangements.
* Council immediately develop a detailed design and implementation plan for the scope of works in consultation with the Dapto Pool Working Party.
* The proposal be submitted to Council’s sports planning process for review, prioritisation and submission to the NSW Department of Sport and Recreation seeking grant funding under the Regional Facilities Program.
* A further report be submitted on the above matters in due course.
These facts were confirmed in a letter to the Club from Lord Mayor George Harrison on Wednesday. (copies in the Club Room).

What does all this mean

It means that Council has definitely committed to heating the 50m pool at the end of this season. It also has committed to continuing the project beyond this first stage and to fully enclose both pools and develop an integrated aquatic centre for the region. This second stage will go ahead as funds become available.

What a great result for all those who made the effort to do something towards getting our pool heated. A big thank you to all those who sent letters and phoned Councillors encouraging them to support the project. Our petition got around 1500 signatures, which is a fantastic considering we only had one week. The efforts of those who went door knocking and distributing them throughout the shopping centre was tremendous. You can be assured that ALL our efforts were very much noticed and listened to by all Councillors. This was evidenced by the fact that nearly all Councillors present at Monday’s meeting stood and supported the motion. Many noted that they were impressed by our letters, especially from our young swimmers. They also must have been impressed by the number of swimmers attending the meeting in full Club gear. It was very impressive. Thanks to Tony for organising this and giving them time off from training.The whole exercise was a total Club effort, one which we all should be proud. It shows what can be achieved if we really want it bad enough.

A big thank you must also go to Vicky King and her fellow Labor Councilors, Mark Yates and Violet Pocock. Vicky has been our leading supporter in Council to get this project through and it has been through her support for our Club’s efforts that the project has maintained momentum.

In the following year our Club will hopefully be involved on the Dapto Pool Working Party and through that we will endeavour to keep stage 2 of the project on Council’s agenda and gain financial support. This may also need some political lobbying of state and federal politicians, but with the experience gained so far this should be a breeze. We will keep you informed.

Once again the Committee wishes to thank all those who have made the effort. You should feel very proud that your efforts have been rewarded.

VICTORY TO THE MIGHTY MEN

Not many times during a season do our swimmers achieve such great heights that it reduces spectators to tears of joy and excitement. One such occasion happened last Saturday at the Warrigal Carnival and it will go down as one of the greatest relay victories in the history of our Club.

No one gave our little group of young hopefuls any chance of winning a medal , let alone winning the event, but like all champions they rose to the occasion.
Leading off for out team was John Neall who set the pace to give us a great chance. John put in a great swim to give our team the lead going into the first change. Waiting to hit the water wasWade Dyer, who, being a last minute replacement, was not expected to go flat out over the entire distance. Somebody forgot to tell Wade however and his time of 55 sec. was 7-8 seconds faster than he had ever swum before. A performance of outstanding quality. Dylan Norohna was next to hit the water and by this time the challengers were coming thick and fast. Dylan showed all the character of the toughest of competitors and refused to give up his lead. He kept finding that something extra that all champions are made of – sheer guts. By this time the cheering was deafening and our supporters were delirious with expectation of a victory. It only remained now for Cody Morrow to make a clean entry and finish it off for the team. True to his outstanding ability Cody dived in and powered away from the field to record a victory of monumentous proportions.

What a victory. Grown women were reduced to blubbering messes as the gold medals were presented. It is said that a certain Club Secretary went through two boxes of tissues trying to dry her eyes. Fathers were hoarse from cheering. This was certinly a victory to savour and to remember for all time. Long live the MIGHTY MEN!

DAPTO MARKET STALL

A big thank you to Wendy and John Dyer for organising a stall for the Club at the Dapto Markets last Sunday. Thanks to several families donating pre-loved goods the Club made about $300 for a few hours work. This now may become a regular event (3-4 times a year) if we can get enough people to part with enough items. Let Wendy know if you have anything.

INTERCLUB

Good luck to all our swimmers competing in Interclub tomorrow. Let’s all get down to the pool and cheer them on. There may even be another exciting relay!

BEER RAFFLE

A reminder that the beer raffle is drawn tonight, so please make sure Wendy Dyer has all your tickets as early as possible.

A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR MEMBERS