Kinsmen and Kinettes spearheaded community pool project

By C. Scott Holland

If not for the local Kinsmen and Kinette Clubs, countless local citizens would not have enjoyed themselves quite as much in the dreaded summer heat waves of the years between 1960 and 1985.

It all began with their commitment to building and providing a better way of life for their respective community. By the late 1950s, the local Kinsmen Club dreamed of providing Leamington and Mersea Township with a public swimming pool. It would become a place for children and adults to learn how to swim and have fun while cooling off.

The entire plan was almost scuttled in February 1960 because of the availability of land for the project. Compared to today, it was a petty issue at the time, but Leamington’s council of the day and the Leamington Agricultural Society were locked in a dispute over land at the fairgrounds.

Meanwhile, the Kinsmen Club started looking at the original estimate of $100,000 and by April, pool planning chair Dave Hibbard stated that five construction companies had been selected to place bids. The pool would be 75 by 42 feet, surrounded by a 20-foot wide apron, and would feature enclosed change rooms and showers.

At the annual Kinsmen Pool Swimming Show on July 26, 1981, some of the babies needed a helping hand ‘diving’ off the board. Here, pool staffer Kim Hicks encourages one youngster into the waiting hands of Cathy McGirr.

The cost of the project was whittled down to $31,000.

By June of 1960, council and the Agricultural Society had come to terms on seven acres of land just to the north of the arena. In exchange for the property, council paid $7,537.

Several other Kinsmen and Kinettes were highly involved in the project, including presidents Dr. Bill Pritchard (Kinsmen) and Pearl Munce (Kinettes) who helped spearhead the project and Owen Spettigue who was in charge of the pool operating committee.

The actual project started in early August. The pool was completed in a matter of weeks and was able to open for what little was left of that summer. The change rooms with washrooms and showers would be ready the following year.

Its official opening was Friday Sept. 2, 1960, and that Labour Day weekend allowed swimming all four days. Its first hours of operation were 10 a.m. to noon, 1 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Users were told that since there were no change rooms, they would have to arrive in their swimming suits. Ultimately, with the addition of the entrance and change rooms, it was a fine facility.

The pool remained a summer fixture for children until 1985 when the indoor pool opened at the newly-built F.T. Sherk Aquatic and Fitness Centre on Sherk Street, later known as the Leamington Kinsmen Recreation Complex.

The pool was eventually filled in, but for the thousands of people who used it or took swimming lessons, it was the place to go on a sweltering summer day or night.