By Jesse Graham
UPPER Yarra residents are calling for a hydrotherapy pool to be built in Yarra Junction, putting forward a petition with hundreds of signatures at last week’s Yarra Ranges Council meeting.
Marilyn Edwards and Margaret Morter presented a petition with 320 signatures at the 11 October meeting and made a presentation calling for the new pool to be built at the Yarra Centre.
Ms Edwards said the only hydrotherapy pools in the area were located in Croydon and Kilsyth, both of which were at least half an hour’s drive away – or a significantly longer trip on public transport.
Outlining the health benefits of a potential new pool, Ms Edwards said an exercise pool that was heated to 34 degrees would help people with disabilities, young people in sporting teams, pregnant women, tourists and the elderly.
Alongside the signatures were seven letters of support for the petition, including letters from health providers and Belgravia Leisure, which runs the council-owned Yarra Centre.
Ms Edwards noted that, with council advocating for the Warburton Mountain Bike Hub project, cyclists would be able to relax and soothe tired muscles in the warm water of a hydrotherapy pool.
O’Shannassy Ward councillor Jim Child asked deputy mayor Andrew Witlox to include the petition as part of the council’s recent The Big Picture consultation, which maps out future projects for the region.
Ryrie Ward councillor Fiona McAllister also spoke in favour of the petition, and said she was “very supportive” of the idea.
After the meeting, Ms Morter told the Mail that she had started campaigning for the pool in July, with Ms Edwards coming on board along the way.
“We’re hopeful, but nothing will happen until after the election,” she said.
Ms Morter said she was a regular visitor to the Yarra Centre and said that a hydrotherapy pool would not only help residents, but get more people through the door of the centre.
“If we get the hydrotherapy pool, that’s going to bring more people into the pool and more money to the pool,” she said.
“We’ve got the medicos, we’ve got the physios backing us – they think it’s a great idea.
“We’re pushing along, we’ll see how we go.”
