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Written by Therese

Petersham Pool 6, 21 April 2017, photo Therese Spruhan

April 21, 20171 min read

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Swimming Pool Stories

swimmingpoolstories

Stand to attention! . . #wylies #wyliesbaths #co

Stand to attention!

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#wylies #wyliesbaths #coogeelife #oceanpool #oceanpoolsofsydney #oceanpools #seapool #seapools #saltwaterswim

Hail Hazel! Hazel Bromley is a great example of

Hail Hazel!

Hazel Bromley is a great example of the adage, you are never too old! At 55 she learnt to swim and now aged 82, she has increased her sessions from one day to six days a week.

‘I decided to get more serious about my swimming,’ Hazel told me yesterday when we got chatting poolside at Wylie’s Baths.

‘I work at the Randwick and District Historical Society every Thursday so I have that day off, but I try and swim every other day.’

When I asked Hazel what motivated her to swim more, she said she wasn’t sure but one day she thought she’d try and do more.

‘The first time I just went to the bollard and back (about half a length) and then I started doing six up and back and I’d be puffing and panting at the end. Then I did eight, 10 and now I do 20 to the bollard and back. I’m much stronger now and my balance is better.’

When Hazel’s in the water she often thinks of Keith Little, the man who taught her to swim at the Coogee Diggers Club pool.

‘It wasn’t easy and I wanted to quit,’ says Hazel, ‘but then I overheard Keith telling someone he liked teaching adults because they are so committed. So I thought I’ve got to be committed. I can’t let Keith down.

‘I think of how he helped me when I do my laps; how I wouldn’t be here without him. He’s been dead 30 years but he’s my hero.’

I think Keith would be impressed with Hazel’s determination and her recent inclusion of ending her swim with a full length of Wylie’s, which I noticed after I finished my laps.

As she made her way across the concrete, Hazel told me it was something she’d started four days ago. ‘I go crooked on my back but it’s good to do a length.’

Keep on swimming Hazel, and reading, going to the movies, having coffee with your friends at Wylie’s, volunteering at the historical society, and recording the races for the Randwick Coogee Amateur Swimming Club!

#wyliesbaths #wylies #wyliesswimming #swimming #swimmers #oceanpool #seapool #elders #elderwisdom #poolpeople #gadigalland #bidgigalcountry #rcasc

Another stairway to heaven… . . . #sydneysunset

Another stairway to heaven…

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#sydneysunset #leichhardtpool #leichhardtparkaquaticcentre #divingtower #sunsetsilhouette #autumninsydney #innerwest #innerwestsydney

A farewell reel on Fanny Durack’s second last da

A farewell reel on Fanny Durack’s second last day. Maybe see you tomorrow on your last day of the season or in October when you reopen for summer! Thanks especially to David and Grant who keep the pool in tip-top shape!

#petershampool #fannydurackaquaticcentre #poolinthepark #petershampark #innerwest #innerwestpools #innerwestsydney #lapswimming #endofseason

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