Rising demand for swimming lessons and rehabilitation therapy at Goulburn Aquatic and Leisure Centre

The Goulburn Aquatic and Leisure Centre is planning to extend hours and offer new staffing positions to meet demand for its rehabilitation therapy and learn-to-swim classes.

Learn-to-swim classes have grown from 200 children a week at the time of its opening to 1000 children a week now while older residents cannot get enough of exercising in the warm water pool, one of four pools in the $30 million centre which has become a popular social hub which attracts over about 14,000 visits a month.

As reported by About Regional, Centre management are planning extended hours for the warm water pool, more permanent positions and career paths for lifeguards and multicultural classes water safety classes for new arrivals to Australia.

Goulburn Aquatic and Leisure Centre (GALC) Aquatics Manager Belinda Hall says the pool has capacity for 24 people who exercise in 34-35 degrees Celsius water, telling About Regional “we have to manage all the user groups coming in (so …) are looking at adding additional hours on each day.”

With demand for the warm water pool exceeding what’s available, staff are drawing on admittance data including peak times and troughs, and aim to have 24 people, or as close to that number as possible for each session.

Hall advises “the elderly generally come at 10 am; they like to come just before lunch and come back at 1:30 pm.”

In addition, health professionals are bringing in groups, as people recovering from injuries continue to improve their wellbeing.

Training in a squad program is also progressing well. From introducing babies into the water to lane swimmers, 150 squad members are in regular training, with eight to 10 students showing promise at an elite level.

GALC Operations Director, Rob Hughes advises “we’ve had a huge demand on casual lifeguards; we love having them here, from school, and we’ve had doctors, surgeons, you name it, other professionals.

“We see this as helping them through their studies; we are providing an income. We are now making it more of a career and have increased the permanency numbers for the lifeguards, offering more career development across all our levels.”

Noting that the Centre is multi-skilling its staff of 40 people, including casuals, so each one could fill a lifeguard position as the need arose, Hall added “we applied for funding through Royal Life Saving and offered 20 spots for lifeguards and all were trained in the lifeguard course and we interviewed some, and ended up gaining quite a few from that process.

“We (also) went to the careers person at local high schools at Goulburn Mulwaree and Trinity College and recruited”

GALC’s managers believe the working conditions and career path options for 16 and 17-year-olds are more attractive than what’s on offer at fast food outlets in Goulburn.

Hughes added “you get taught safety, which is a big issue in any workforce, customer service - you are interacting with every demographic in the city. I tell everyone this is a great place to work.”

Image: Therapy at the Goulburn Aquatic and Leisure Centre. Credit: Goulburn Aquatic and Leisure Centre.