These pictures brought back memories of when my son got his mile certificate, it was a freezing afternoon in the late 70s and he came out of the pool blue and exhausted. He then enjoyed a cup of hot Bovril to thaw out. Thinking back even earlier to the early 50s I can remember a swiming show, I think it was called The Frollies where a man would dive from a very tall diving platform as part of the show. His name may have been Dave Perry and if anyone can confirm this I would be most grateful.

This Is On The Site Where The Marina Center Is Today!

After showing pictures to my dad I can confirm that the high diver was Perry Blake which also stared water clowns and aqua maids for Mr George Baines from 1954 to 1964.During this time Perry Blake hit the bottom of the pool on first dive of the season and Leo from America took his place for the remainder of the season. I myself had six years with the water follies.

These images bring back powerful memories.
My father John Lake had a strong association with the pool having won numerous medals for swimming in the 1950's. My earliest memories go back to the early 1960s when dad taught me to swim and, later, as he encouraged me to jump off the boards.
Probably the strangest memory however, was of a swarm of ladybirds which infested the area one day in the 1960s and absolutely every surface was covered in red crawling insects.

Oh happy, carefree days!