SWIMMING IN MEMORIAL FOUNTAIN ‘DISRESPECTFUL’
FURIOUS residents have slammed some members of the community as “disgusting and disrespectful” after they were spotted using the Tweed Heads Anzac Memorial Fountain as a swimming pool, with one person even using it to wash their dog.
Tweed Heads resident Ross Symonds said he had “lost count” of the amount of times he had seen teenagers and adults using the fountain to swim in despite it being a memorial in remembrance of fallen veterans.
Mr Symonds said while he may have a greater emotional investment due to a previous role as a speaker for Anzac Day and Remembrance Day ceremonies in Canberra, he was “disappointed” that younger generations were not respecting the memorial.
“I came up here and live almost opposite the memorial park and was just honestly disgusted when I saw all these kids playing in the memorial pool,” he said.
“They either should put a sign up or a little fence around it which wouldn’t take away from the memorial but remind people it’s not a public swimming pool.”
Mr Symonds said he had written to the Tweed Heads and Coolangatta RSL Sub Branch a number of times, but had not received an adequate response.
RSL Sub-Branch Secretary John Griffin said he was concerned about the issue but it was out of the RSL’s hands as the fountain was owned by the Tweed Shire Council.
The iconic fountain fell into disrepair after years of neglect and at one point was even going to be scrapped by council early last year, before the Tweed Heads and Coolangatta RSL Sub Branch raised emergency funds to have it restored.
Mr Griffin said he was sick of seeing “people doing the wrong thing” in the fountain.
“It’s a special fountain and in remembrance of fallen veterans and a lot of people, whether they’re from the veteran or military community or not, are not happy with it being used for purposes other than what a fountain is meant for,” he said. “Kids running around in it ... another 50 metres they can run into the boat harbour, it’s got a plaque recognising it’s part of our rememberence of veterans .
“We just ask for the community to respect what it is and what it stands for.”