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Save the Olympic Leisure Centre!
*URGENT ACTION - TELL COUNCIL TO VOTE AGAINST RECOMMENDATION 4.1*
Olympic Village Action Network
June 18, 2025
To the members and supporters of the Olympic Leisure Centre (OLC),
Our pool is under imminent threat! We need you to mobilise NOW to help us save this asset in the heart of our community.
What is the problem?
Banyule City Council are meeting on Monday 23rd June to vote on the future of OLC. They are proposing to close all aquatic facilities, abandon plans for major renovation, and instead fund a part-time library facility.
This does not meet our community’s needs. In 2021-22, Council spent $200,000 on a community consultation to explore the future of the OLC. The overwhelming consensus was that the community wanted revitalised aquatic facilities. A comprehensive and ambitious vision was proposed.
This vision has been ignored.
The Olympic Village Action Network (OVAN) is a newly incorporated association advocating for the liveability and wellbeing of West Heidelberg and surrounding areas. We submitted a petition with >350 signatures to Council in May 2025 calling to honour the community consultation.
Today, Council has proposed an uninspiring, cost cutting approach that fails to realise the potential of the area and our community.
When is this happening?
Banyule City Council are meeting to vote on the fate of the OLC on Monday 23rd June at 7pm at the Ivanhoe Library and Cultural Hub. We have only been notified today (Wednesday 18th June) that it is going to vote. We have little time to make a big impact.
What can we do?
Tell council to save the OLC! If you are a Banyule resident, call and email all councillors TODAY and tell them to vote AGAINST recommendation 4.1. The more voices we can gather, the stronger our message.
Join us at Cr Mary O’Kane’s community consultation on Saturday 21st June, 1:30-2:30pm, Shop 48 (The Harmony Centre) at the Bell St. Mall. After the meeting, OVAN is organising a march from the Mall to the OLC in solidarity of the centre and our community. Make a placard and join us!
Join us to rally on Monday 23rd June from 6-7pm outside the Ivanhoe Library and Cultural Hub before the Council meeting. Make your voice heard!
Register to speak at the council meeting on 23rd June and voice your opposition to Recommendation 4.1.
Let your friends, family, and neighbours know. Time is short and we need to spread the word ASAP. Share this newsletter and our social media links below.
If we don’t act, we will lose this resource forever.
Dr. Aiden Varan, MD, MPH, BSc(Hons)
Paediatric registrar &
President, Olympic Village Action Network
[email protected]
https://ovan.org.au
Key resources/links:
Banyule City Council - Councillor Contact Details
Recommendation 4.1 - Banyule City Council Ordinary Meeting 23rd June
