"You Never Appreciate What You have Until There is a Chance You May Lose it": Community Activism and the Conservation of Public Swimming Pools

Abstract

Public swimming pools in Australia have played a formative part in the making of Australian identity: as a stage for iconic images of sport and leisure; as a place for the display of the body; and as a fondly regarded setting for everyday community and family life. Since the 1950s, hundreds of public pools have been constructed – through hard-fought community activism and assistance – across country towns and suburbs. However, by the 1970s, a slow decline in public pool use began to have an impact, because of the rise of indoor and mixed-use leisure complexes, the increasing pressures of privatisation and the growth of private pool ownership. Combined with a general lack of ongoing governmen..