Pool meet packs out Olinda Community Hall

THE community threw its support behind the Olinda Pool last night at a town hall style meeting where a Labor MP promised $500,000 in funding.

n05fp116 a1 Olinda Pool : Shire of Yarra Ranges may close several pools across the shire . Picture: STEVE TANNER 070726

HUNDREDS packed into the Olinda Community Hall last night in a bid to save the Olinda Pool.

Emotions were running high as members of the local community took to the floor to plead with Yarra Ranges Council to fix and reopen the pool ahead of summer.

Councillors and local politicians attended the meeting, which was led by the Friends of the Olinda Pool group chairman John Faull.

Monbulk State Labor MP James Merlino attended the meeting to pledge $500,000 to the redevelopment of the pool, provided:

LABOR is re-elected at the November 29 election,

YARRA Ranges Council commits to reopening the pool, and

THE council agrees to match the funding.

Latrobe Federal Liberal MP Jason Wood also attended the meeting and said he would assist the community with funding if the council supported the project, but did not know how much.

The suggestion of a brand new aquatic centre was also briefly discussed at last night’s meeting.

However, the community made its message clear. It wasn’t interested in a multi-million dollar indoor aquatic centre being built, but was keen to just have the existing pool repaired to a standard at which it could be used by the summer.

Olinda local Duncan Brown made an impassioned speech at the meeting begging council to save the pool facility which meant so much to his family, and the community.

“The pool means so much to these kids, don’t take it away,” Mr Brown said.

“Just get behind us.”

See next week’s edition of the Free Press Leader for full coverage.