By LAURA WAKELY
SUNSHINE Residents and Ratepayers Association (SunRRA) will lobby Brimbank City Council to remove a commemorative plaque at the Sunshine pool.
The group will write to council this week asking that the plaque at the pool, which commemorates the official opening of the Sunshine Leisure Centre in 2007, be removed.
The plaque lists Brimbank councillors and states “the centre was completed with financial assistance from the Victorian Government in partnership with Brimbank City Council.”
SunRRA will ask that council instead install a plaque thanking the Sunshine community, community groups and individuals for their part in the “historic fight” for the pool.
The fight began in 2005 when the council announced plans to demolish the 50-metre outdoor pool, which had been closed for 14 years.
Years of rallying by the community followed from several groups including SunRRA, Save the Sunshine Pool and Sunshine Mothers’ Group, involving community rallies and even picket lines.
The community campaigning resulted in a new 25-metre outdoor pool being constructed by the Brimbank Council and State Government, which opened in 2008.
SunRRA president Darlene Reilly told a meeting last week that she had received complaints about the plaque from residents.
Ms Reilly said the plaque should acknowledge the community members who had an impact on getting the new outdoor pool installed rather than the councillors on the plaque.
The councillors listed are Margaret Guidice (who was Mayor at the time), Anthony Abate, Jenny Barboza, Sam David, Kathryn Eriksson, Natalie Suleyman, Troy Atanasovski, Ken Capar, Miles Dymott, Costas Socratous and Marilyn Zulalski.
Ms Guidice told Star it was “poor form” to have the plaque removed.
“There were members of the council that fought very, very hard for that pool to be established and council spent significant funds providing the infrastructure around the pool,” she said.
“Yes, I acknowledge the community were very strong in fighting for the pool but the plaque in no way diminishes the community’s involvement in establishing that pool.”
