Seven years before Col Pearse was given his first Australian swimming team cap he was a head-turning 12-year-old with a dream who swam happily alongside the users of 50-metre competition standard Rochester Swimming Pool.
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Ever since he lost his right foot as a two-year-old after a ride-on lawnmower accident, he has caught the attention of onlookers, amazed and enthralled by his swimming ability.
During COVID, the Pearse legend grew tremendously when he used the family dam as a training mechanism before his much-publicised medal-winning performance at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
He does not recommend that as a common practice for kids who are aspiring to represent their country in the sport, suggesting the shire’s swimming pools are a much better option.
Whenever he is home he is a regular at the Echuca War Memorial Aquatic Centre, both in the gym and the pool, maintaining his traiing.
The now 20-year-old recalls spending a significant period of time at Rochester when the Echuca pool was closed for a time as he was training for a school carnival.
“I think it was 2015 when they closed the Echuca pool
“I spent three months during the school holidays training at Rochester, but I haven’t swum in the Rochy pool for a couple of years,” he said
Pearse’s family farm is only 10 minutes from Lockington, but that pool doesn’t have lane ropes and was described by the decorated paralympian as more of a “play pool’’.
“At Rochester they could put both the lane ropes in and leave half the pool for people to muck around in,“ he said.
“Lockington was a social pool, I remember I used to love the diving board.
“Rochester was the best of both worlds,” he said, recalling competing against members of the Rochester swim club.
Pearse said there was significant advantages with a 50-metre pool, particularly in regard to fitness and competition training.
He said while training as a 12-year-old he had both eyes firmly fixed on becoming an Australian paralympian.
Only last week Pearse was back in Australia with more silverware, adding to his Commonwealth Games Gold Medal from last year’s Birmingham event, the 2020 Tokyo bronze medal and a pair of silvers from the world para swimming championships — which were also last year.
Pearse was, however, taken aback when he heard that Rochester was without its own swim facility — a result of the 2022 October flood.
Only four months before winning his two world championship medals in Madeira in Portugal floodwater had destroyed the swim facility.
He said he considered it a “basic human right’’ for people to learn to swim and have access, in their own town, to a swim facility.
“We certainly don’t want kids swimming in the channels or dams.
“Everyone should now how to swim. I did swim in the channel and dam when I was growing up, but I would not recommend it,” he said.
Pearse, who now trains in Melbourne after becoming a regular with the national team, will spend the next three weeks out of the pool.
“This will be the first time that I am home that I am not in the pool. During Christmas, New Years, my birthday and long weekends I get home and am into the pool the next morning,” he said.
Pearse’s message regarding Campaspe shire’s pool network was simple: do whatever is necessary to keep the pools open.
“There are people who might not be able to drive to other towns or not have access for a variety of reasons.
“Rochester needs a pool,” the former Echuca College student said.
Pearse now has three silver, three bronze and one gold from his exploits at world championships, Commonwelath Games, paralympics and world cups.
And there is more to come.
“I still feel I’ve got more to give. And I am still chasing that paralympic gold
“I hope to still be competing at international level for the Brisbane 2032 Paralympics,” he said.
Pearse has just turned 20 (on July 10) and will be 29 for those games.
Last week champion Australian sprint swimmer Kyle Chalmers, who is 26, pronounced himself as the old man of the team.
“Swimming is a young sport, but he has been swimming for 10 years internationally, so I can understand him saying that,’’ Pearse said.
Pearse’s focus has moved slightly from his pet event, the S10 category 100-metre butterfly.
He now has one eye on the 200-metre individual medley, in which he won a silver medal at the world championships.
“The butterfly is a very competitive race, whereas the individual medley is a little bit more open,” he said.
Pearse is ranked third in the world for the100m butterfly and second in 200m individual medley.
• This response was received from the Campaspe Shire Council in late June when approached by the Campaspe News about the potential for free use of the Echuca War Memorial Aquatic Centre by Rochester residents who had been left without a swimming facility following the flood event.
“Council officers have received this request (made by Judy Anderson about Rochester people being able to use the Echuca heated indoor facility) from a local resident and has responded accordingly.
“While the Rochester pool remains closed due to the impact of flooding, free entry for the 2023-24 summer season for all other outdoor pools in Campaspe shire has been included in council’s 2023-24 budget which was adopted at the June 20 council meeting.
“This includes Kyabram and Lockington, which are similar in proximity to Echuca from Rochester. Council is committed to the flood recovery efforts in Rochester and continues to advocate for funding for construction of a new Rochester aquatic facility to replace the destroyed Rochester swimming pool.
“A consultant has been engaged to provide options regarding the development of a new facility. Community engagement regarding this will commence in the near future.’’
Since then, however, there has been more progress and last week this was an update on the situation regarding the Rochester pool.
“We are pleased to advise you that the community engagement sessions will commence shortly in Rochester and are currently scheduled for August 26, September 6 and September 7.
These sessions, along with key stakeholder input and feedback received from the Place Based Plan survey, seeks to gain community feedback about their desired location and facilities for the Rochester pool.
There will be more details regarding the upcoming community engagement sessions to follow next week.
Campaspe News