Our pool is getting ready for summer

Dear Barraba,

My name’s Gary Johnson and I live in Bendemeer. In 2004 when the five local governments amalgamated, I suddenly found myself overseeing, among others, the Barraba Swimming Pool with Jill Fenn and Rick Dwyer and the crew.

In 2014 I left TRC to do my own thing, still within the aquatic industry and eventually working for the Royal Life Saving Society. It was an opportunity to travel and experience the wider aquatic industry. Sadly, the one common thread across our country was there was a lot of aging Pool Managers and councils weren’t investing in their replacement. Fast forward 10 years and it’s happened. Most have retired and ALL councils are scrambling to get pools to open.

Late in 2023 another opportunity arose and I took it. I’m back at TRC, again overseeing the pools and guess who’s still here? Jill; a lady who’s passionate about our pools and the swimming community. Myself and 20 others recently had lunch with to celebrate her 25th anniversary with Council… 30 if you include a few years of casual employment.

Jill and I can’t fix the nation’s problem but we can in our towns. We’re looking for people who care about people (customer service) enjoy the outdoors, love the responsibility of keeping people safe (lifeguarding), enjoy leading a small team and importantly, who want to live and work in their town. It’s important that we keep Barraba jobs in Barraba. If you’re fit and able and looking for a career or a career change, we’d like to talk to you.

Being able to deliver Royal Life Saving courses locally, we find ourselves in a unique position compared to other councils. Jill and I have a wealth of experience we want to impart on the right person. The Barraba Pool is the jewel in the crown of TRC’s swimming facilities. It needs somebody who wants to learn its quirky ways, maintain it, grow it to suit the swimmers and most importantly, just love it. In the last two months we’ve found two young people in Tamworth who are now qualified lifeguards and enrolled in a Certificate IV in Community Recreation. We want the same in our other towns.

Like many of you, I’m over social media. It doesn’t put me in touch with the people I need to talk to. A huge thank you to Bronwyn and the Community College for letting me get my message to you. If a career in the aquatic industry sounds like you, email me and I’ll come up for coffee, my shout: g.johnson@taworth.nsw.gov.au

Thanks again. 

Gary Johnson