Council decision has had a major impact on young swimmers, says club
Statement from Swimming Gunnedah Inc president, Marcus Shorter:
The Gunnedah Swimming Club is calling on Gunnedah Shire Council to reinstate the lane space and pool sessions that were cut by 35 per cent and reallocated to a newly formed user group.
This decision has had a major impact on our young swimmers, who have lost their regular club night and access to several morning and afternoon sessions that have been part of our training schedule for decades.
Over the past 12 months, it has been extremely concerning to see the challenges faced by our 70-year-old club. We are seeking transparency and accountability from Council as to why our lane space was reduced without any prior consultation. It has been a difficult year, with genuine concerns raised around swimmer safety and the loss of equitable access to the pool.
In October last year, Gunnedah Shire Council reduced our lane access from three lanes to two, reallocating one lane to the newly established Gunnedah Cycle and Triathlon Club.
This change created overcrowding and raised immediate safety issues due to our club’s training numbers. Swimming Gunnedah currently has around 100 active members, making us the largest pool user group in the Shire.
In February this year, Council went a step further and cut our pool access again — reducing our swim sessions from 20.5 hours per week down to just 13.5 hours. By comparison, The Gunnedah Cycle and Triathlon Club was allocated approximately 23 hours per week.
We are struggling to understand why a newly formed user group, that is not a swimming club and has far fewer members, has been granted more pool hours than a long-standing, not-for-profit community swimming club.
Giving swimming lanes to a triathlon club is unfair. Triathlon is a mix of swimming, cycling, and running, while our club is solely focused on swimming. Pool time should go first to those who depend entirely on the water — our swimmers.
For months, our committee has made repeated and unsuccessful requests to meet with Council to discuss this issue in good faith. We are now calling on Mayor Colleen Fuller to take responsibility and advocate for our club. Referring to this matter as an “operational issue” is no longer acceptable — it is an issue of fairness, community equity, and safety. We want you to act – not dismiss, delay or deflect. The community deserves answers!
We do not currently have enough pool time to cater for the number of children training with us. At peak times, we have up to 60 swimmers training across three sessions, and our numbers are continuing to grow, with families now travelling from outside Gunnedah to train with us.
We are simply asking Council to reinstate the lane access and pool hours that we held prior to October last year — access that our club has maintained for 70 years — so that we can continue to provide safe, structured training for our swimmers and the opportunity to develop athletes who compete at area, state, and national levels.
The loss of sessions to the triathlon and cycling club has also prevented us from hosting our long-standing Tuesday night- club nights since January, despite an active pool service agreement with Council. Club nights are an essential part of swimming club culture, where young swimmers learn racing skills, build confidence, and develop a love of the sport. Also getting a time down on record to improve on.
After months of frustration and what we see as unfair treatment, our committee recently met with State Member for Tamworth, Kevin Anderson, who has taken our concerns directly to NSW Local Government Minister Ron Hoenig.
Last year, Swimming Gunnedah also raised a conflict of interest concern with Council in relation to the decision to reallocate one of our lanes to the newly formed triathlon club. This matter was referred to an independent review, but Council has refused to release the findings publicly. The review also recommended that future lane allocations be managed by Council staff independent of current pool management operations.
Adding to our frustration, Council has recently made allegations of “bad behaviour” against our club — claims which are baseless and unsubstantiated. Meanwhile, legitimate concerns raised by our members have been dismissed.
Swimming Gunnedah has always operated in line with our Club Code of Conduct and through the proper channels. We have continued to show respect and patience as we seek a fair and transparent resolution.
Our club has a long and proud 70-year history with the Gunnedah pool. We have contributed countless volunteer hours and raised significant funds for major facility improvements — including the enclosure of the 25m indoor pool in the 90’s, lane ropes, and starting blocks — all of which we have proudly shared with the community.
This isn’t just about lanes in a pool – it’s about kids in our community missing out. For 70 years, our club has given local children a safe place to train, grow in confidence, and chase their dreams. We now have swimmers competing at country, state and even national levels, and those dreams are being squashed because we don’t have the lane space to train them properly.
Taking this away doesn’t just hurt the kids – it hurts the whole Gunnedah community.”
