By Cllr Dr Verity Greenwood, Hornsby Shire Council
The refurbished Galston Aquatic Centre, opened in February, 2024, is a resounding success. Its popularity is certainly understandable as the Centre provides a range of family-friendly spaces and, for those people with a disability or in the process of rehabilitation, access to a multi-purpose changing area and support equipment.
However, on my first visit to the Centre I noted the absence of lockers. Most visitors to the Centre, whether to swim or go to the gym, would come with personal belongings, which may include keys, wallet/purse, phone, other personal accessories. change of clothes and towel. For school children training before and after school, their bag might also contain electronic items for school.
My first and most important concern is responsible trust and security. Is it reasonable to be concerned about our belongings whilst at the Aquatic Centre? Galston is not in the grip of a crime wave, but crimes in our area will and do happen.
We must maintain responsible trust and keep our personal items secure away from temptation. Consider this: Would you feel comfortable in leaving your car keys and phone on a seat outside one of our shopping centres and then leave them while you walk away to do your shopping? Our shopping precincts and Galston Aquatic Centre are both public places and personal items need protection.
My second concern is convenience and being able to easily store and retrieve personal items without having to carry them around. My third concern is privacy. Without lockers, visitor’s personal belongings are more likely to be out on show where others can see them, making them more vulnerable to theft.
The fourth concern was distraction-free swimming and gym classes. Use of lockers allows a relaxed and stress-free session for visitors as they will not worry about safety of personal items. Finally, as the Centre is a shared facility, personal items should be in lockers rather than being a hazard left on seats, left on the floor, in a doorway or against a wall.
In March, 2024, I put forward a motion at the Hornsby Council meeting requesting Council to investigate and assess the cost of providing keyless lockers that are ‘user friendly’ and accessible, waterproof and corrosion proof as well as being architecturally sympathetic to the spaces within the Centre environment. My motion was carried, and Council staff undertook research into 13 Aquatic facilities in the greater Sydney area for the purpose of benchmarking and assessing numbers, types and location of lockers within each facility.
At the June, 2024 Hornsby Council General Meeting, the recommendation for 12 suitable keyless lockers, to be provided as a free service for our community and pool users, to securely store their belongings on the pool deck during their time at the Aquatic Centre, was approved and endorsed. The lockers will be included in the Council’s Delivery Program/Operational Plan 2024/25.
If you have any concerns or issues where I may assist, please do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected] For information about the Galston Aquatic and Leisure Centre see https://www.hornsby.nsw.gov.au/lifestyle/sports-and-recreation/swimming/galston-aquatic-and-leisure-centre
