Coonabarabran Memorial Swimming Pool and Second World War Honour Roll

About

The Coonabarabran Memorial Swimming Pool was dedicated to those who served in the Second World War. A dedication plaque is located on the exterior of the entrance building. An honour roll commemorating those from Coonabarabran and District who served in the war is installed above the plaque.  On site there is also a large glass-fronted case housing a Japanese Woodpecker machine gun, which was captured on 3 August 1945 during combat in New Guinea. More information about the gun can be found at the Destination NSW website. A field gun is also located in a fenced area on the grass in front of the pool entrance building. After the Second World War, the local RSL sub-branch suggested a plan to construct swimming baths in the town as a memorial to those who had served, and wrote to the Coonabarabran Shire Council requesting a public meeting to discuss the project. The President of the Shire Council, John E Keeping, called a meeting to be held on 5 February 1946 to seek suggestions on the type of memorial to be constructed and to invite subscriptions to a building fund (The North-Western Watchman (Coonabarrabran), 17 and 24 January 1946). The meeting was well attended by an enthusiastic crowd who supported the idea of the memorial baths. The Coonabarabran War Memorial Baths Committee was elected to raise funds towards the estimated £12,000 construction costs, with a goal of £6,000 to be raised in three months. By May 1946, the funds raised were £2,000 short of the required £6,000 before construction work could commence. Additional time was granted to the Committee to achieve their goal, with suggested money raising schemes including monthly subscriptions, a lottery and approaching the Government to request a grant (The North-Western Watchman (Coonabarabran), 8 February and 16 May 1946). By the end of August 1946, the Committee was still short of funds and had rejected the suggestion of a lottery. The Shire President appealed to the public for more funds and announced that a subsidy would be sought from the Government once a site was selected. The Shire Engineer, Mr G Cliff, had prepared plans and estimates for different sites and on 14 November 1946, a vote was taken at a public meeting of donors to choose the site for the new baths, with the showground site being selected. By July 1947, the plans for the baths were approved by the Committee. In August 1948, after two years of debate over fundraising, the cost of construction for the baths had risen to over £15,000. The Shire Council decided to raise a loan of £10,000, which would be covered by a general rate raise across the whole shire (The North-Western Watchman (Coonabarabran), 26 August 1948).  A meeting of subscribers to the War Memorial Pool Fund was held in March 1949, where anger was expressed at a further rise in construction costs to £19,000 and Council's decision to limit promised expenditure for the baths (The North-Western Watchman (Coonabarabran), 17 March 1949). A proposal was put forward and accepted to modify the plans for the baths to reduce costs. A year later in March 1950, tenders were again called to build the baths (The Dubbo Liberal and Macquarie Advocate, 1 February 1950).  Construction eventually began in 1953. With the building costs having risen to £40,000, The Dubbo Liberal and Macquarie Advocate, 22 January 1953, reported that local volunteers would transport material from Dubbo for the baths for free. Major fundraising took place over the next few years and on 9 November1957, the memorial pool complex was opened by The Hon J B Renshaw MLA, Minister for Local Government and Highways. The memorial is located adjacent to the Coonabarbran Visitors Information Centre.