Whitlam Leisure Centre — Local services in Sydney

I thought this would be a great place to swim before work...

Today was the fifth day of a five day trial pass. I chose the Whitlam Centre because it was one of the few pools that open at 5am, providing the perfect opportunity to get in some lap swimming before work. How wrong was I!

Monday started fine, I got in two laps in the 50m swimming pool before feeling nauseas (this was day one of starting to swim). When signing up for this free trial, I was told that there were no working lockers for swimmers, something that is essential for getting changed into work clothes. In hindsight, this was the first red flag.

The second red flag was the state of the showers. They are dilapidated and the doors don't even close properly. I saw cockroaches in the locker room on two of the five days. On another day, the hot water was broken so an ice cold shower it was. However, despite these two red flags, I still thought I would see out the trial and perhaps still join due the convenience of the opening time and the fact that it was one of the cheapest options for swimming memberships at $13.40/week.

However, the deal breaker was the closure of the 50m pool, which was the third red flag. On three of the five days I was at the pool this week, the 50m pool was closed. What's the point of a swimming pool if the pool is closed?! On Tuesday, the reason given was that one of the flood lights was not working. I've attached photos of the outside pool with most of the flood lights on and only one pair off, which, according to management, makes it hard for lifeguards to see. Then, on Wednesday, the outdoor pool was open again. Sweet! But it was odd that the floodlight was still not working. Thursday comes around and the outdoor pool is closed again. Today (Friday), the outdoor pool is closed again. Staff inform me that the pool will open at 6am. The decision to close the pool is very ad hoc and what makes it worse is that there is no proactive communication, no timeline of when it will be open again from 5am... nothing. You find out when you rock up. Now, there is an indoor 25m pool that lifeguards direct you to, but each lane has two swimmers jammed into it. The system isn't that you swim up one side of a lane and return on the other in a circular route to allow multiple swimmers in a lane, at these pools each swimmer takes either the right or left of the black centre line of a lane. This means that once two swimmers are in a lane, that lane's taken. With only about 6 lanes available for swimming in the indoor pool, they were all taken by 5:20am this morning. I asked the lifeguard where I can swim since the outdoor pool is closed and all the indoor lanes are taken. He just shrugged...

Three strikes your out...

I once loved swimming and going to the pool but it’s been about 7 years since I’ve been back to a pool after my conditions have deteriorated.

I felt extremely anxious about what to expect from the staff, the possibility of having to answer multiple personal questions, and the high chance of shutting down (dissociation) due to sensory overload or PTSD triggered. The fact I hadn't been to a public pool with my Assistance Dog (Buddha) in a very long time because of past experiences only added to my high anxiety before arriving.

I logged into the app and notified Whitlam Leisure Centre that I was on my way, I typed my “Must know “ info that I can get overstimulated and that I had a Buddha. I explained I like to communicate calmly and not be drilled with questions about me or Buddha.

On arrival we were greeted friendly by staff and then given a tour around the centre by Ernest, who answered our questions and showed all the accommodations available to us, such as quiet spaces away from others.

For the first time, EVER, there were no questions asked about my disability or my Assistance Dog! Absolutely blew me away! As I said with Cérge, I had let staff know before arriving that I have multiple mental health conditions and would have my Assistance Dog and carer with me, that I struggle interacting with strangers and that I hate being asked personal questions. Knowing they knew this, my fears about what might happen lessened to a manageable level.

The impact Cerge has made for me after today is indescribable!

We walked out of the centre and were deeply overjoyed that I was able to stay at a public pool without issues and for longer than expected! I felt like, for the first time, I could happily enjoy a swim without being disturbed or people trying to interact with my Assistance Dog while I was in the water.

I am relieved, happy...

My 2 boys have been attending swimming lessons here at goswim, since February. My 18m was nervous and cried during his first lesson. But he just needed a few weeks to settle in. He loves swimming with his coach Miss Tina. As he is in starfish 2 they sing fun nursery songs, seahorse with a pool noodle, crocodile jump, Humpty dumpty, float like a pancake, hanging monkeys, bath toy activities etc. We have the same coach weekly my son had learnt alot from Miss Tina, she is amazing during the lesson and very engaging. We have also met the other coaches and my son responds very well to them too.

My 5yo was scared of the pool and the beach and always wants to be carried in the water. Since attending his lessons he's becoming more confident in the water with floating and kicking and also doesn't need a swim vest, he just uses a pool noodle. If you pay for swim lessons you are also allowed to swim out of lesson times, which we usually do.

The staff are always friendly and the lifeguards take their jobs very seriously. There is a very friendly lifeguard named Washington, he always has a smile on his face and makes us feel welcome.

There is real sense of community when we attend whitlam, they offer different services to all types of people and ages. The front office staff are helpful, we were sick 2 weeks in a row and I supplied medical certificates to receive a credit for the swim lessons which Mary was happy to process with no issues. The centre is older, but it is clean and children pool is heated. . They are closing the pool for renovations for 3 weeks we are excited to see what it looks like when it reopens! We love...