A NEGLECTED POOL

Evening Star, Issue 19777, 30 January 1928, Page 6

A NEGLECTED POOL

KAIKORAI SWIMMING BATHS COMING INTO ITS OWN These are the days, the genuine summer days, when sensible people wish to fill in their leisure hours by playing the good old game of keeping cool. Swimming naturally offers itself up as the shortest route to success in this direction, and as a'result every swimming pool in the city, not to mention the Pacific Ocean, Inis been consistentlv popular all through the last month or so. Which includes, of course, the long neglected . and comparatively unknown Kaikorai pool, situated among charming rural surroundings on the' road to Fraser’s Bush.

Shades of onr youlh! A ‘Slur’ reporter who, in the years immediately preceding the war. was wont to disport himself in the cool fresh water of the valley had almost forgotten the existence of such a happy swimming ground until he nearly lell into it on his way to Fraser’s Bush the other day. The air was uncomfortably hot. The water lookcd deliciously cool. Within a few minutes the visitor had stripped and was into it.

By and by he weenie conscious of the fact that there Was in the baths with him a gentleman who was no mean exponent of the art of swimming, for, in addition to being able to employ with easy grace nil the well-known strokes, he had at his command a number of aquatic tricks which were nothing short of wonderful.

“You are old Father William.” the young man said as ho saw the human torpedo standing on his head on the bottom of the pool and spinning round and round like a top. Still, the aforementioned gentleman was not so oldjust old enough to be the possessor of a useful knowledge of the baths history, which in a subsequent interview ho imparted to the reporter. It seems that he had come to Dunedin from the north a few years before the war, and, as ho lived on the hill, he immediately looked round for a spot whore lie could indulge in bis favorite pastime. He heard that the Kaikorai pool had previously been opened with a, great deal of display, and it looked as though its future success was assured. Then came the war and the consequent departure of the young men whose activities kept the concern going. By and by, in spite of the council’s efforts to get somebody to take charge of them, the baths fell into a state of neglect, and goodness knows what would have happened had it not been for the energy of an old identity, Mr J, Fraser, who in the interests of children used to spend a great deal of his time cleaning them out. Through not being under proper supervision, however, the baths and tho buildings attached to it became greatly knocked about by larrikins, and the grass which, of course, persisted in growing, was allowed to lift some of the flag stones. When this particular swimmer returned to Dunedin in 1926, after having been transferred, he found that the council had appointed somebody to look after tho pool and efforts were being made to put them in order. However, it was a pity that not much money was available for the purpose, for with a little up-keep expenditure the place could easily be made one of the finest open-air fresh-water baths in the country. During the present school holidays great use has been made of the pool by those who know that tho baths are open, and mixed bathing is freely indulged in. The baths are especially suitable for those learning to swim, anil scores of women and children have been taking advantage of tho fact. There is need for more adequate dressing accommodation, but the water itself, in spite of its dark appearance, is beautifully clear and fresh. At present there is a custodian on the spot, who is doing as well us he can under the circumstances' of limited funds to keep tho place in tip-top order. Eacli week the pool is emptied and the bottom thoroughly cleaned. In addition the custodian is most generous with his services, and thinks nothing of waiting at the baths till all hours of the evening. Since so much money was spent originally in building these baths it seems only right that a Swimming Committee should be formed which could help to make such a dehghtful “cooling off” spot one of tlr bathing features of the citv.