With temperatures rising from minus 3 at dawn to 7 degrees by 11 o'clock on Wednesday morning, Beechworth retiree Jim Murphy was quick to sign a petition for a heated swimming pool in the historic town.
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At the moment, heeding his doctor's advice to partake in aquatic therapy means finding a lift to Wangaratta every week; the only other public heated pool nearby is Wodonga.
By late morning on June 19, Mr Murphy was one of 475 people behind a push to establish an indoor community pool in Beechworth.
But the driving force behind the campaign, Stanley businesswoman Maggie Mackenzie, is aiming for 1000 signatures.
Mr Murphy, a longtime Beechworth resident who used to work at the Mayday Hills asylum with mate Ross Gladstone, who also signed the petition on Wednesday, said "it made perfect sense" for a heated pool in the town.
"I usually head out to Wang every Wednesday, I couldn't go today, but it would be great to have a heated pool here, one you could use all year round," Mr Murphy said.
"You can only use the one here in summer, but my doctor says it's something I should do all the time - I fully support this.
"If you had one in Beechworth, I wouldn't have to drive to Wang, and neither would anyone else who needs it."
Mrs Mackenzie said rather than groan about what was not happening, she was taking the approach of convincing people of the benefits of a heated community pool, and not just for elderly residents.
"Kids need to learn how to swim, especially kids from overseas, and at the moment there's just nowhere for them to go to learn when it gets cooler," she said.
"This could actually save lives by teaching young kids to swim properly.
Mrs Mackenzie said she wanted to alert Indigo Shire Council and the community to statistics from the Royal Life Saving Society and the Australian Water Safety Council which painted a grim picture.
She said she had written to federal Infrastucture Minister Catherine King, member for Indi Helen Haines and Benambra MP Bill Tilley about the need for federal and state funding to support the project.
Mr Gladstone said he was concerned about children missing out on the life skill of swimming.
"All my children have grown up now but I've got grandchildren here, six of them, it would be a good thing for them," Mr Gladstone said.
"Learning to swim properly is a very important skill for kids to learn."
Indigo Shire has five outdoor pools, in Beechworth, Rutherglen, Yackandandah, Chiltern and Tangambalanga.
Indigo Shire Council has allocated $160,000 in the 2023-24 budget to reline the existing Beechworth pool. The council said there were no funds in the 2024-2025 budget for an indoor pool project.
"The Beechworth Pool Feasibility Study conducted in 2021 showed the indicative capital investment required for an indoor pool would be $14.5 million," a spokesperson said.
