An Introduction to FOMOPP

The Friends Of the Maryborough Outdoor Pool Precinct

Created at the beginning of 2025 by Duncan Bates, President of the local swim club and Leonie Lomax, concerned members of the Maryborough community, organised a meeting to see how many other members of our community were concerned by the closing of the Pool precinct and the time it was taking for it to be reopened. We had already lost 3 summers of access to the pool. The initial meeting held in late January 2025 was to see what interest and support there was to form an advocacy group pushing Council to get the pools repaired and reopened.

This first meeting was held at the Hub and attracted more than 50 concerned community members including a number of our local councillors. We followed up with another meeting to elect a committee to run the group. Our first committee was made up of Duncan Bates, Rick Seirer, Cathy Schwager, Lauren Woodward, Dan Davison, Kate Ashton, Max Berry, John Weston, Ray Sexton, Maria Lacey and Lois Broad.

Who we are

We are an incorporated non-profit group representing the Maryborough Community to get our Pool precinct reopened. Our aim is to act as an advocate and liaison between the wider community and the Central Goldfields Shire Council to get our pools reopened as a matter of urgency.

Our purpose

To be a not-for-profit organization with the purpose of enhancing Maryborough (Vic) and surrounding area by reviving and sustaining Maryborough Outdoor Pool as a Community Hub to:

Build a stronger more connected community.
Promote Health, wellbeing and active lifestyles.
Create a legacy for future generations.

We Are About Saving Our Swimming pool.


The history of our pool	Why is it significant?	Why fight for it?

Why is it significant?

The swimming complex is architecturally significant as a rare, intact example of a swimming pool complex designed in the late 1930s. The entrance pavilion is architecturally important as a recreational building employing the architectural language promoted by European functionalist architects of the 1920s and 1930s and symbolising a concern for modernity, safety and hygiene.

The complex has aesthetic significance as a well planned recreational facility with an intact, late 1930s garden setting, all picturesquely set within and overlooking a nineteenth century municipal park.

The Maryborough Municipal Olympic Swimming Complex is historically significant as an example of a municipal pool complex illustrating the development of swimming in Victoria during the inter-war period. The pool complex has historical significance for its special association with Frank Beaurepaire, being one of the few surviving pools opened by him as part of his long commitment to swimming in Victoria and, particularly, associated with his fostering of building programmes encouraging the provision of municipal pools throughout the state.

Why fight for it?

Public pools provide significant health, social, and safety benefits by offering accessible, low-impact exercise for all ages, strengthening community connection, and serving as vital water safety education hubs. They aid in improving cardiovascular health, building muscle, reducing stress, and assisting in injury rehabilitation while reducing obesity risks.

For families, they offer a venue to boost children’s physical health and water safety awareness. The aquatic industry also contributes to reducing social isolation and encouraging community participation.

Key Benefits of Public Pools:

Physical health & fitness: swimming offers a full-body, low-impact workout that strengthens muscles and improves cardiovascular endurance without putting pressure on joints.
They are ideal for rehabilitation and pain management.
Mental well-being: regular swimming helps reduce stress, anxiety, and depression while improving mood and cognitive function.
Social & community Hubs: public pools serve as community hubs that foster social interaction, cohesion, and cross-cultural collaboration, often creating local jobs.
Safety & education: they provide safe environments for children and adults to learn essential swimming and water survival skills.
Accessibility: they offer an affordable way to exercise and cool down, especially in remote regions or during hot weather.
Mental health boost: the calming effect of water and exercise can help reduce stress and anxiety, promoting overall mental health.
Safety improvements: public pools provide a safe and controlled environment for swimming and water safety education.

The history of our pool

Referrence: Herritage Victoria Listing

The Maryborough Municipal Olympic Swimming Complex was opened by Sir Frank Beaurepaire in 1940 and designed by local architect EJ Peck and city engineers EJ Muntz and J Hocking. As constructed, the complex comprised an entrance pavilion, an Olympic swimming pool, an octagonal wading pool, and service buildings all within a garden setting. The reinforced concrete and brick entrance pavilion was designed in a style strongly influenced by the aesthetics of European functionalism. The Maryborough complex was contemporary with a number of other similar municipal council schemes providing modern, safe and hygienic swimming facilities, manifesting the changing public nature of bathing and swimming from chiefly a health related activity to a recreational pursuit. An intermediate pool was added to the Maryborough complex in 1973. The site remains remarkably intact, with the original pools, entrance pavilion and planting scheme retained in close to original condition.