A City of Greater Geelong decision to reduce the opening hours of the Children’s Pool at Eastern Beach has sparked backlash from the community.
The City last week announced new safety measures for Eastern Beach facilities, including patrols at the Children’s Pool between 11am-7pm each day of the summer holidays, but the pool gates will be locked outside of those hours.
COGG provided the safety update on its Facebook page last Friday morning, with many locals taking to the comments section to oppose the restricted hours, with some saying the “terrible decision” was “short-sighted.”
“All for lifeguard supervision but opening the children’s pool at 11 is very ordinary,” one commenter said.
“On a hot day we like to get there at 9:30 and be home by 11.
“Regardless of whether Lifeguards are there or not children still need to be actively supervised by a responsible adult.”
Councillor Eddy Kontelj also commented on the post, saying Council will be “seeking answers and an urgent review.”
The City said it’s introducing the measure following an in drowning’s across Victoria last summer, while expecting up to 10-thousand visitors daily.
Other initiatives introduced include a restriction on lap and recreational swimming under the dive tower and dive boards, the temporary closure of the dive boards due to insufficient clearance depth and the installation of a public defibrillator and rescue equipment in the coming weeks.
