School Swimming Pool Built In Week

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28210, 23 February 1957, Page 5

School Swimming Pool Built In Week

rpAKEN only three days apart, these two pictures record one of the fastest jobs of swimming pool construction ever performed in Christchurch. A fortnight ago there was bare gravel in this area of the Burnside Primary School. Early this week a new pool was in use. Erection of a learners’ pool was given first priority when the new Burnside School was opened last year, and in November £5OO was raised at a fair sponsored jointly by the school committee and parent-teacher association. Qualifying for the £ for £ subsidy, this made £lOOO available for a 40ft by 15ft elevated pool, fencing, and changing ac-

commodation. Pupils left for their Christmas holidays knowing that they would be able to swim at the beginning of the first term. This month they returned and nobody had turned a sod. That was in the first week. Then a contractor who builds 15 to 17 such pools between October and March in schools throughout the education district levelled the site and erected boxing. One Saturday’s work, including a big party of parents and some pupils, saw most of the concrete walls up. Last Saturday more fathers dug the trenches for the water supply and emptying drains. Apart from their natural interest in a new amenity for their children, parents had the

1 e additional inducement that the P contractor was refunding to the schbol the value of the voluntary labour amounting to many manj hours. e A week’s actual work went into - the pool. With concrete hards ened. painted white outside and 2 sea blue on the interior, these 1 children had the first splash on r Wednesday. The school had e honoured its promise.