I first got to know of the book launch for 50 Metres : Our Swimming Pools through Facebook. As I was scrolling through the images, one particular quote caught my eye.

Wow, I didn’t know that! No wonder we have so many swimming pools in Singapore!! Thank you Mr Lee, for I grew up with one of the oldest and deepest pool at Taman Jurong. Swimming was one of the few lessons in schools I really enjoyed. My childhood friends and I loved the 12-ft deep pool, 2-tier springboard and life-saving swim lessons there. By P3, I was one of the the able swimmers in school and always managed to snag a few trophies and medals during my school’s swim carnival. It’s a pity that the Jurong Town Swimming Pool has closed down in the past decade.

50 Metres : Our Swimming Pools is a joint effort by Jocelyn Lau and Lucien Low, with beautiful illustrations by Favian Ee. The book commemorates the heritage of Singapore’s swimming pool and the book launch is timed with Singapore’s 50th year of Independence. 50 Metres : Our Swimming Pools is a 128-page full-colour paperback that contributes to the preservation of collective memories by 56 residents of Singapore. Do you have your own story to tell?

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Front Cover : Teaching Pool, Hougang Swimming Complex / Back Cover : Diving pool, Queenstown Swimming Complex

Drowning

Going further back into memories, I nearly died when I was 5 years old. The baby pool at Jurong Town Swimming pool was an impressive size of 25m length x 10(?)m width with long steps at the shallower end for entry. I “very cleverly” removed my cumbersome swimming ring as it appeared that I could reach the floor tiles everywhere I went. Haha! Why need the float?!! The next thing I knew, I was struggling trying to reach the floor and catching my breath. Had my dad not been watchful, I would have died that day. I remember I cried alot. Since then until P1, I had a phobia of water until my mum decided to send me for proper lessons (despite my resistance).

Childhood

My siblings and I spent countless years at Jurong Town Swimming Pool. Even after we had achieved GOLD certificate, long distance award (I once swam for almost 4 hours during one of the trials to complete 5KM), life-saving certification, we would be at the pool every Saturday evening for “free swim class”. Back then, our beloved swim coach loved to order a 20-lap whenever he spots us at the pool and we would obediently oblige before we enjoy water play.

Yes, this is how the main gate of Jurong Town Swimming Pool looks like!

Food

There was a Chinese Restaurant that sold dimsum and old school big round glass jars of cookies. After every swim lesson, mum would buy each of us a piece of cookie and a cup of Milo. My favourite was the Walnut Cookie – crispy, fragrant and buttery. Strange, but I seem to be able to recall the exact taste even though it’s been 20-30 years.

Dog

My family once took in a stray dog. It’s name is Puppy and he had the most affinity with my brother. Puppy would follow us to the pool and wait at the gate. Every staff and life guards at the pool knows Puppy is our dog. ❤ He even knows he must wait for the Green Man before crossing the traffic light junction across Corporation Drive.

All the above are some of my fondest memory of Jurong Town Swimming Pool. So, what’s your story? Would you like to share?

Collected in 50 Metres : Our Swimming Pools are stories of the new, old and those pools that are no longer serving the public. The stories are from people who used the pools at one point of their life or another. Pool staffs and lifeguards shared their own stories too. It’s an endearing read and also very interesting to find out how the swimming pools have actually changed people’s life. Published by Kucinta Books and supported by the SG50 Celebration Fund, 50 Metres : Our Swimming Pools is a keeper and is totally wonderful and meaningful.

Old Pools

Here is another peek into the other swimming pools which I thought would recapture some of your memories too.

New Pools

50 Metres : Our Swimming Pools also includes the current new pools with all the happening splashes, slides and lazy rivers. These pools provided a totally different experience and lifestyle for one and all. Our kids will grow up with a whole new set of fond memories of their own!

Jurong East Swimming Complex – the first of all water theme park in Singapore. I remember the terror wave pool and powerful jets of water sprayed into the air. But I don’t remember this circular slide (above). It’s time for a return but not sure if it’s been reopened from recent renovations.

Jurong West Swimming Complex – to many, this is a swimming pool with very cold water! The pool deck is located above the ground floor carpark and is at least at the height of 3-4 storeys hence, more windy. There are two full-sized adult pools, one of which has a shelter over it which I have never dared to enter due to the water temperature.

The kiddy area has an impressive size with a tall and long slide, very long lazy river and lots of water splash area. This is enough for a whole morning of fun!

50 Metres : Our Swimming Pools is available at all National Library Board (NLB) branches for borrowing. Pssst… there are ONLY 50 COPIES LEFT FOR RETAIL! You can get it at Kucinta Books Online Webstore, BOOKTIQUE (Citilink Mall #B1-18A) or email kucinta.pools@gmail.com. Each copy is retailing at S$12/copy until sold out.

<<< GIVEAWAY >>>

Thanks to our sponsor Jocelyn at Kucinta Books, whare with us your memories and stand to win a copy of 50 Metres : Our Swimming Pools! There are only 5 copies to give away!

To take part and qualify, please make sure ALL the following steps are completed:

1) COMMENT on this blog post stating your Facebook Name and your email address.

2) LIKE SAys! Happy Mums, Kucinta Books and 50 Metres : Our Swimming Pools on Facebook.

3) LIKE and SHARE this Facebook post with the caption “Tag @Friend A Tag @Friend B Win a copy of 50 Metres : Our Swimming Pools”. Do set your post to PUBLIC so that we are able to verify your entry.

Terms and Conditions:

Giveaway ends 18th October 2015, Sunday at 11.59PM.
Prize collection would be sent by normal mail upon provision of winner’s address. SAys! Happy Mums and sponsors will not be responsible for lost mail.
Prize is fixed and sponsored by Kucinta Books, has no monetary value and cannot be changed to another item.
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Best of luck!

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~ SAys! Shirley 🙂

About 50 METRES: OUR SWIMMING POOLS

Personal accounts by: 56 Singapore residents
Edited by: Jocelyn Lau and Lucien Low
Illustrated by: Favian Ee
Published by: Kucinta Books

Coffeetable book (full colour illustrations)
128 pages, paperback with flaps
ISBN: 978-981-09-2843-8

Book Specifications:
21×17 cm (portrait)
128 pages
Paperback with flaps
Weight: 310g (est)

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About Kucinta Books

Kucinta Books is a boutique publishing imprint based in Singapore.

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Email : kucintabooks@gmail.com

[Partner] Jocelyn Lau is an alumni member of the University Lifeguard Corps at the National University of Singapore. She holds several lifesaving awards at university. Jocelyn has been book editor since 1999, when she joined Oxford University Press (Singapore). In August 2000, she was accepted into the competitive postgraduate publishing programme offered annually by Denver Publishing Institute in Colorado. Since graduating from the course, she has worked with several established publishing houses based in Singapore, including Oxford University Press, Periplus Editions, Insight Guides and McGraw-Hill Education.

[Partner] Lucien Low, also a graduate of the Denver Publishing Institute, has worked as translation editor and book editor with Asian Geographic Magazines and Pearson Education. Research is his strength. , Lucien has worked on writing, translation and editing projects for Asian Geographic Magazines, Asian Civilisations Museum and Pearson Education. His strength is in research.

Favian Ee is a full-time visual effects artist working on some of the biggest Hollywood films. He is also a seasoned cartoonist and illustrator and an avid urban sketcher.

[Updated 26 Oct ’15]