Principal Sponsor

In the late 1950’s it was decided that Kalamunda needed a swimming pool and with the support of local businesses, the Shire Council and the community, the money was raised.  The pool was completed in 1964. 

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Before it was even finished, an enthusiastic bunch of locals began training in the backyard pool of Dot and Gordon Edwards.  Club Meets were held with the Ascot Swimming Club on Sunday mornings at a pool on the Swan River.  Whilst Mrs Edwards was the unofficial coach during this time, Bob Bastow, when he was appointed Manager of the Kalamunda Swimming Pool, became the first official Head Coach of the Kalamunda Districts Amateur Swimming Club.  His annual salary was $2,700 and he lived rent free in the house adjacent to the pool.

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The Club was affiliated with the Western Australian Amateur Swimming Association in 1963 with Hedley Jorgenson as the inaugural President and current Life Member Greta Harwood on the committee, and officially competed in WAASA events for the first time in the 1964/65 season.  It was also an original intention for the club to develop diving and water polo components.  Don Drysdale was the club’s first State representative in 1966.

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Kalamunda Pool was unheated and windswept, making it a chilly challenge for those early members.  Time was later spent at Maida Vale Heated Pool before the Club moved to the Forrestfield Senior High School facility in the late 1980’s.  This too was an outdoor venue and the Club only ran from September to March.  Over time, thanks to the dedication of some committee members the complex has been enclosed and heated meaning the Club can continue to train and compete year round.

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The recent amalgamation with the Guildford Blues Swimming Club has seen the Club grow into a healthy and competitive contingent that now train in three facilities with numerous coaches specialising in all aspects of a swimmer’s development.

Many families and coaches have passed through the ranks, some only briefly, but many retaining long-standing attachments to the Club.  It has catered for Social, State level and National Swimmers and promoted a sense of competition tempered by personal development, sportsmanship and humility.  From Tadpoles to Seniors, families are the core of Guildford and Kalamunda Districts Swimming Club.