Memorials

In Hawaii, people now find it bizarre that a swimming pool like the Waikiki Natatorium was created as a war memorial. This is not the case in Australia where many county towns have war memorial swimming pools. Usually these are memorials to WWII rather than WWI, which means they are younger than most of the ocean baths along the NSW coast.

One of the ocean baths dedicated as a war memorial is the pool created in the 1960s on Sawtell's Bonville headland, not far from the major North Coast resort town of Coffs Harbour. Sawtell's ocean pool was a very practical war memorial when pollution of the river baths at Coffs Harbour meant there were no suitable learn-to-swim venues in the district.

The Towradgi Olympic Pool in the Illawarra has a plaque on a rock stating that 'This pool was built to perpetuate the memory of the school children of this area who served in the armed forces during the world wars, by the voluntary labour of the citizens of Towradgi together with the co-operation of the Wollongong City Council and the Joint Coal Board'.

Other people memorialised at ocean pools include those who helped bring the pool into existence or had a significant relationship with the pool. Another  plaque on another rock near the Towradgi pool is  'In memory of Mr Doug Porter. A former alderman of Wollongong City Council and State member for Wollongong-Kembla whose dedication and personal support made the construction of the Towradgi Pool possible 24 January 1916 26 March 198' . A further plaque is 'In memory of David John Hall 1957-1979. Remembered by his friends at Towradgi'.

The North Narrabeen pool has a plaque commemorating the life and death of a keen pool-user. Ashes of Bondi Icebergs have been scattered into the sea near their clubhouse.

Sometimes the pool's name is a memorial to a local hero, as in the case of the Beverley Whitfield pool at Shellharbour commemorating a Shellharbour swimmer who won a gold medal at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Other pool names and plaques commemorate swimming teachers, politicians and pool operators.

Many pools have  plaques testifying to the pool's own history. Sometimes the memorial takes the form of artwork.

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