Pool repairs: St George Leader article on 27 August 2015

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On Monday morning, 24 August - I checked out Oatley baths, and found that the broken pole now has an orange cone to signal danger.  

Orange 'danger' cone on broken mooring pole

Renegade turning boards are a continual problem for the swimming club.  The first one, in the 1930s, was a permanent wooden fixture that lasted for many years - though repaired regularly.  This eventually collapsed.

They then tried a floating pontoon made up of 40 gallon drums, which lasted a couple of years until it too collapsed.  Next was an electric light pole that members had chopped down, but to their surprise, it did not float.  Eventually the Council supplied a couple of steel pontoons until they rusted away.

Photo (date unknown) below records the last moments of one former turning board...

Group shot 2015-2016 (with thanks to Mathew Wylie)

Oatley Park birds - all in a row

Cormorants sitting on the Oatley baths net - all in a row, with strict regard to personal space. 

Oatley Park swimming pool: a serious accident waiting to happen

Sandy beach netted swimming pool, winter 2015: 

The pontoon has broken away from its moorings, leaving behind its two anchor poles.  One pole has snapped and its lower portion, standing upright in the mud, is a serious accident waiting to happen. Its broken edges are razor sharp with splinters. 

The broken pole is visible at low tide, but at high tide, it disappears and is just below the surface of the water. 

If you swam over this pole at high tide it would disembowel you. 

The pool is still open to the public.  

Mathew took this photo of the pontoon lodged in the net.  In the foreground are what is left of the poles that once were its home.  

Sandy Beach pontoon floating loose, and what is left of the poles to which it was moored.

Broken pontoon pole at low tide.  At high tide, it is invisible and just below the surface.

At the same time, the supports holding up the Oatley pool jetty are near collapse, as you can see from Mathew's photo. 

Oatley Bay jetty and what is left of its support poles

Riverside frolics

March 2015, and the last swim of the season.

And an excuse to frolic by the river...

Phyllis and Joanne made a guest appearance, wearing the latest in ladies' swimwear.  Both wore their best smiles, generously applied with slapstick - sorry, lipstick - and were eligible for the ladies' races.

Phyllis has the BEST legs

Tho it must be said: Joanne did have a 5 o'clock shadow

As Joanne and Phyllis were guest swimmers, they drew quite a crowd

But nothing can ever distract, in an Australian summer, from a game of cricket.

Wishing you all a fun winter break, and see you next season. 

Caitlin: winner of the Arthur Larter Trophy for 2015.

Caitlin successfully held off all challengers.  Congratulations, Caitlin.

Dark clouds over our river: photos by Neoklis Bloukos

The day darkens and fills with clouds that are bloated, grey and menacing.  The river plays dead.

Under a vast archway of twisted cloud, we are very tiny.

We can only watch and wait.

Clouds swirl, reaching down as if to swallow us up.

And when all seems lost...

The sun comes out.

Thanks Neoklis.