Community
22 October, 2025
Open day at indoor pool
RODNEY Grove Community Aquatic Centre in Cobden will be hosting an open day next week to encourage higher visitation to the pool after the formation of a new committee.
Friends of Rodney Grove Fitness Centre, chaired by Lesley Brown, was recently created to support the indoor pool after it was announced the pool hours would be cut amid funding shortfalls.
In an effort to increase membership and visitation, the indoor pool will be hosting a free open day on Wednesday, October 29 from 9.30-11.30am for community members to come along and see all the facility has to offer.
The facility is the only heated indoor pool in Corangamite Shire, which recently dropped its hours of access due to low profits, resulting in community backlash.
Mrs Brown said the community was passionate about keeping the pool afloat as it was such an important asset to the region.
“The Friends of Rodney Grove Fitness Centre are a group of 12 community members who are passionate about keeping the centre open and opening more hours and getting more people coming into the centre,” she said.
“Because the hours were reduced, that upset a lot of people in the community – obviously with their health issues they needed to come in and use the centre.
“We thought we’d get together and try and get more people coming in and raise some money to pay for things in the centre.
“We’re doing a pamphlet drop all around the district, as far as we can.
“At the open day, Carole Manifold will be having a water aerobics class and Will (Elliott, centre manager) is going to do a circuit class and just be here for information and hopefully people come along.”
There will be free morning tea available on the day and it’s open to anyone who is interested in learning more about the centre.
“There’s never been an open day here and a lot of people don’t know the centre is here,” Mrs Brown said.
“A lot of people also think they have to have a doctor’s referral to use the pool, but they don’t – anyone can come and use the facilities.
“We thought we would open it up and see what happens.”
Mrs Brown said the facility was “everything” to people all across the shire due to its one-of-a-kind nature.
“There was a meeting here at 8am one morning after it was announced the hours were going to be shortened and there were 60 people here,” she said.
“That’s a lot of people at that time of day and they were all very passionate about why and what’s going on.
“One gentleman, had a stroke, and this is his lifeline – another lady had a workplace accident and she needs to come here three days a week and she notices it if she doesn’t.
“For me, I’ve got a bit of arthritis so I do a couple of classes a week – I do the pool on Thursday, circuit class on a Tuesday night, and that helps me keep fit.
“It keeps people in-home and they can look after themselves and not go into care.”
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