By Luke Voogt
Keri East drives 220 kilometres each week from her Clifton Springs home to Waurn Ponds for daughter Baylie’s hydrotherapy.
Baylie, 21, is non-verbal and has poor circulation and other complications from two extremely rare genetic conditions, including one shared by only 150 people worldwide.
“She relies on the hydrotherapy to keep her joints moving properly,” Ms East said.
Ms East had hoped Geelong council’s planned $15.5 million pool in Drysdale would cut her nine hours of weekly travel dramatically.
But her hopes were shattered when she discovered the plans were for an outdoor facility, with no hydrotherapy pool.
“It’s ridiculous,” she said. “It’s really important, given how many people there are on the Bellarine with disability, we think about the hydrotherapy pool as well.”
Council’s heated indoor pool at Waurn Ponds already leaves Baylie with blue limbs due to her poor circulation, according to Ms East.
An outdoor pool would be poorly suited to her, and the Bellarine Peninsula’s large elderly and disabled populations, she said.
“You only need to check out where they’re planning to build it to feel the wind chill factor.
“It seems like a ridiculous waste of money when it could be done properly the first time.”
Corangamite MP Libby Coker took aim at the plans and council’s “lack” of consultation with “vulnerable people”.
“It’s time the council listened to the will of the community and committed to taking this project seriously,” Ms Coker said.
But Geelong mayor Stephanie Asher hit back, saying the pool would be heated and that council was listening to the community about the need for further facilities.
“We don’t have funding for this at the moment, but at our most recent council meeting we resolved to find avenues to fund a future stage two that would include indoor pools,” Cr Asher said.
“We would welcome the Member for Corangamite’s support in helping us to advocate for government funding for future stages of the development.”
