Photo ID required to swim at Cumberland Council pools
A security requirement for visitors at a set of western Sydney pools left an elderly woman distressed after she was rejected from a facility.
Parramatta
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Cumberland Council’s general manager and mayor have been forced to apologise to an 85-year-old woman who was rejected from her exercise classes at one of its aquatic centres because she failed to produce photo identification.
General manager Peter Fitzgerald said it was “unacceptable” Mountaha Maikounian was turned away from Granville Swim Centre three weeks ago because she only had her concession card when she and her friend Najat Zeait attended for water aerobics.
Mrs Zeait expressed her concerns at the council meeting this week.
“My friend felt stressed, she felt humiliated because it is ridiculous not to let an 85-year-old inside the swimming pool because she does not have a photo ID,’’ she said.
“I don’t think any person, or any law-abiding person, should go through what she’s going through.’’
She said it took three weeks for the council to resolve Mrs Maikounian’s complaint.
Mayor Ola Hamed thanked them for sharing their “horrible” story and apologised.
Mr Fitzgerald said their experience was “unacceptable” and it “won’t occur again”.
He said the identification system was in place after security problems at Granville Swim Centre last summer when the council was forced to spend more than $60,000 to have police monitor the pool and $100,000 on security guards.
“We decided that we would introduce a visitor management system down there, and that visitor management system has helped us identify people, and I sincerely apologise you’ve been caught up in that,’’ he said.
He said the issue was resolved on Tuesday after staff informed him about the problem.
Mrs Zeait raised the issue in an effort to prevent it recurring for other swimmers, particularly seniors.
“How many people are going through what (Mrs Maikounian) going through? This is not right,’’ she said.
“We are the ignored generation. We’re not a computer. We miss out on so many things.’’
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