General staffing shortages in the Bega Valley have continued to impact the operation of Council’s public swimming pools.
Parks, Aquatics and Recreation Manager, John Grady said despite efforts to recruit and train staff in time for the 2022/23 swimming season, Council is still short on the number of qualified staff it has had for previous summer pool seasons.
“Lifeguard availability has been our greatest challenge – without lifeguards we cannot operate public pools,” Mr Grady said.
“We know this is not an ideal situation. Without available staff to cover short-term roster challenges it becomes very difficult to open pools with the minimum number of staff required,” he said.
If these shortages happen and council are not able to open a pool for a session, they will notify the public via social media.
“We have already had to ask staff to cover quite a few additional shifts at short notice this season,” Mr Grady said.
“We want our pools to open as programmed but we know the current situation is not sustainable and want to make sure pool users are informed,” he said.
“Earlier this year we were faced with the difficult decision to delay the re-opening of Bemboka swimming pool.
“We have been working on getting ready to open at Bemboka and are looking to be operational by Monday 21 November with a reduced season ticket offered due to the shorter season length.”
If you are interested in becoming a Pool Lifeguard, the first step is to get qualified. To learn more and to enrol for training, visit the Royal Life Saving website, or call (02) 4225 0108.
Council encourage people interested in working at any of our pools to look at the current positions advertised on their website.
For more information on the shire’s aquatic facilities, visit Council’s website.
Image: Bega Valley Shire Council
