Why can’t we all just go to the pool?
This past Sunday, I spotted a post on social media made by a curious local - most-likely prompted by the extreme heat - enquiring as to whether there is any public facility in Graaff-reinet where one can go for a swim.
When I was a child in Kirkwood, I lived a two-minute walk from a beautiful, wellmaintained, outdoor public swimming pool located in the centre of town.
I only had to walk through a neighbour’s backyard, across the main road, down the sidewalk and there it was!: the sound of happy children splashing in cold, blue, chlorinated water.
Graaff-reinet used to boast two sparkling public swimming pools - the municipal swimming pool which was located at the end of Stockenstroom Street and the Deon Adams swimming pool which was opened amid much fanfare in 1991 in the middle of the Kroonvale community where all could access it.
For years, these pools were low-cost, highfun places to mix, socialize, see, be seen and cool off.
At their best, these pools were leisure spaces for the masses, where anybody who knows how to swim, or was willing to stand in the shallow end, could have as much fun as an Olympic star - no expensive gear or outfits needed.
Needless to say, the loss of these swimming pools - and with it the summer ritual of public swimming - has lowered the quality of community life in Graaff-reinet by more than a few degrees. In addition to this, it has also deprived many residents - especially those from Kroonvale and Umasizakhe - of the opportunity to learn to swim. What led to the demise of these two glorious public swimming pools?
I can only assume that neglected by a municipality short on funds and staff, the pools became a bit dodgy and were deemed unsafe by the public, resulting in depopulation and, in time, drained of their precious liquid assets and closed.
It’s easy to imagine how much delight our parents and grandparents took in these public swimming spaces and it's unfortunate that Graaff-reinet, with its rich history and immense character, couldn't hold on to these two gems. The disappearance of these pools is a huge loss to all of us. During its grand opening, the Kroonvale swimming pool was described as “a necessity to provide the necessary relief and relaxation to community members during Graaff-reinet’s very warm summers”.
This past Monday's high of 42ºc is a fitting testament to this.
So, can we bring public swimming pools back to life? It may just be too much to ask.
It’s very difficult these days for municipalities to find the kind of cash needed to build, or staff, public pools.
This doesn't, however, negate the fact that recreational spaces are crucial for those who don't have the luxury of their own swimming pool or the use of a generous neighbour’s.
Although it won’t provide anything like the old poolside culture, a more economical water-park model such as “splash pads” sprinkler parks that do an adequate job of cooling a person off - might just be a viable option for when the current drought is something of the past?