Mareeba Pool set to celebrate 50 years The man who was at the helm of the Mareeba Shire Council in 1966, Mick Borzi, has over the years, a number of swimming shields named in his honour, for which competitors swam for in various competitions. The Mick Borzi Shield, which dates back to when the pool was first opened in 1966, has seen a number of replacements and changes over the years. Local resident Henry Sciani has just completed a general refurbishment and restoration of the shields, which had seen better days. As Mayor (or Chairman) of the Mareeba Shire Council as he was known in those days, reflects on the importance of the pool for the residents of Mareeba. Mr Borzi said the pool was a necessity even before it was built in 1966 – we started planning for it in 1964. We simply could not afford to build it because the town was growing. “The demands on the council were huge, the pool was eventually built with day labour, which was not the norm in those days.”
“The estimate to build the pool was 120,000 pounds, all the tenders came in substantially above that and by using day labour we were able to reduce the building costs.” Mr Borzi remembers that the council had numerous projects they would have liked to get a start on but they had to prioritise the more important ones. “It was important that people could enjoy swimming in a safer location other than the Brewery Hole,” he said. “The Brewery Hole served a purpose for a period, but parents felt safer leaving their kids at the pool than at the Brewery Hole. “As you could imagine there was little TV , video games and all the mod cons of today ,the pool was extensively used right up to today.” The Mareeba pool will celebrate its 50th anniversary this Sunday where a large crowd is expected to show up as the community remembers the history of the landmark. The day will feature lots of fun activities for the family and the entire community is invited to attend.
Mick and Elsa Borzi with Henry Sciani hold up the Borzi Shields after they were rescued and restored for the Mareeba Pool’s 50th anniversary.
Commemorative book to be launched this Sunday With the celebration of the Mareeba Swimming Pools 50th anniversary comes the official launch of the booklet “The History of the Mareeba Memorial Swimming Pool”. Committee members who came together to commemorate the pools 50th anniversary have worked tirelessly in collating the book in a presentable chapter of the region’s history. Karen Pedersen and Irene Kernot were instrumental in gathering memorabilia for the pools 50th anniversary
and thought that their hard work should be put to good use and therefore began to compile the History of the Mareeba Memorial Swimming Pool. Henry Sciani and Liz Crunkhorn had organised the 25th anniversary so they helped a lot and Irene Shanks organised the Masters with Irene Kernot giving us information, while Marie Kirk did the disabilities section From where it all started at the “Brewery Hole” on the Barron River to the modern Olympic size pool we have today, few residents of the shire have not taken a
dip into the waters of the Mareeba Pool without some reminiscing of days gone by. Following decades of competing in the depths of the Brewery Hole and swimming against the challenging current of the Barron River, Mareeba residents wholeheartedly supported the construction of their very own swimming pool. The book will be on sale for just $5 this Sunday when the community celebrates the 50th anniversary of the pool opening.
PICTURED: Todd Olds, President of the Mareeba Wildcats Swimming Club, displays the new book “The History of the Mareeba Memorial Swimming Pool”.
CELEBRATE the 50TH Anniversary of the Mareeba Swimming Pool ~ THIS SUNDAY MAY 29, 2016 ~ PROGRAM 10.00am: Pool Opens - Free Admission 10.30am: Surf Life Saving - Rescue and CPR Demonstration 11.00am: Tinaroo Canoe Club - Water Polo Demonstration Midday: Mayor Tom Gilmore - Launch of book “History of the Mareeba Memorial Swimming Pool” + Cutting of the Cake 1.00pm: Relays for Family, Business & Clubs
INFO: Karen Pedersen 4094 8337 or Email: karmawatersstn@bigpond.com www.theexpressnewspaper.com.au
The Express, Wednesday, May 25, 2016 PAGE 11