SNZ Events
Epic Swim
High Performance
SNZ Events
Epic Swim
High Performance
The Wharenui Swim Club has an exceptionally long and rich history of swimming in New Zealand. The club is one of the oldest in the country and has a long and proud list of successes ranging from current NZ records to Commonwealth gold medals.
The Wharenui Amateur Swim Club was founded on the 1st of December 1911 in connection with the Wharenui Coronation Bath which was constructed as a memorial to the coronation of King George V.
"A meeting was held in the Wharenui School last evening for the purpose of forming a swimming club in connection with the Wharenui Coronation Bath. Mr F. Coombs was in the chair, and Mr H. Milne was elected secretary pro term. It was decided to form a club to be called the Wharenui Amateur Swimming Club, and the following committee was set up to draft rules: - Messer's F. McCullough, F. Ward, C. D. Von Dibra, G. Cullen, F. Coombs, H. Hancock, and the secretary. The fees were fixed at 5s per annum for adults and 2s 6d for youths under 18." - Press, 2/12/1911
The bath which was opened on the 18th of December 1911 was 75ft by 30ft, was 7ft 8in at its deepest. Mr. Witty who was the MP had the honour of opening the pool and was quoted at the time saying "it should be compulsory for every child to learn swimming, so as to be able to render help to others in an emergency." At the time of the opening the Wharenui Swim Club had 60 members.
Check out this race day record back in 1914 - Wharenui Carnival 1914.
The club folded several times for events such as the war but was subsequently reinstated. The club was re-established in its current form in 1944 and has gone from strength to strength celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2014.
