By Ed Stozek
For the Herald
It was quite the adventure to partake in the swimming lessons first offered at Lake Dauphin in 1956.
My wife Janice recalled that along with her older brother and sister, their mother drove them each day to Ochre-Beach to attend a two-week session with lessons starting at 10 a.m. Janice recalled that at times the water was cold and if it was windy the waves made it difficult to swim.
A week prior to the inaugural swimming lessons, W. Bumstead, chairman of the Rotary committee in charge of registration, indicated that the response was excellent and those slow to register might be disappointed to find the classes filled to the maximum.
In a Dauphin Herald editorial on July 5, 1956, the editor noted, “There is no better community service than to teach young people and older citizens the proper methods of swimming and the rules for water safety and life-saving instruction.”
In the third and final course that year, 59 of 88 students gained certificates in their class. A grand total of 223 students received certificates at the completion of the six-week summer swimming program sessions. Instructor Arnold Taylor indicated, “Dauphin has been most pleasant and I can assure you the town and especially the people have a new Dauphin booster.” (Aug. 23, 1956, Dauphin Herald)
1962 marked the most successful year for swimming and life-saving lessons with over 300 participants. Assisting swimming instructor Miss Baylis were three local girls who had participated in the inaugural lessons in 1956. The lessons were held at Campbell’s Point located between Ochre-Beach and the Crescent Cove Road on the property owned by Jerry Wilson. The Rotary Club offered thanks to Wilson and asked the public to respect the private property and not use it as a public place for outings.
At this time the Rotary Club “had a dream that one day in the not so distant future an artificial pool will be located in the Vermillion Park.” (Aug. 15, 1962, Dauphin Herald) They noted that having the lessons in town would alleviate the necessity of having six to eight cars provided by Rotary Club members to transport some students to the beach each day. Several years later students enrolled in the swimming program had the opportunity to catch a bus from the current MacKenzie Middle School at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Besides the distance for students to travel to their lessons, losing 40 per cent of time during swimming lessons included high winds causing rough water, low water levels necessitating students having to wade a long distance from shore to swimming depth, insect pests on shore and in the water, as well as green algae causing unpleasant and unhealthy conditions.
For the upcoming Canada's Centennial in 1967, the recreational subcommittee proposed an indoor swimming pool at an estimated cost of $112,200. In a referendum on June 11, 1965, the $75,000 debenture bylaw proposed for the purpose of constructing an indoor pool as a centennial project was soundly rejected by taxpayers. With a turnout of 52.8 per cent of eligible voters, 1,155 voted no and 522 voted yes.
A front-page story in the May 22, 1968 edition of the Dauphin Herald revealed that town council accepted a proposal from a delegation of a joint committee of Kinsmen and Lions Club members offering to build an outdoor swimming pool and giving it to the Town of Dauphin as a gift with the understanding that the Town be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the pool. After two hours of questions and discussions, Council passed a motion in favour of the proposal.
Numerous fund-raising activities included a Walk-To-Swim walkathon on June 23, with crests presented to all participants. All participants were also eligible in a draw for 25 free season swimming passes that could be used on Aug. 17, 1968, when the new pool was opened to the public.
A Hoof-It-To-Roof-It walkathon also occurred on May 27, 1970, with funds earmarked to help pay for a pool enclosure.
During the 1980s and 90s when our children were old enough to take swimming lessons at the pool they didn’t have to battle the elements like their mother did at Lake Dauphin.
