Orara Valley Community

Swimming Pool Opening

Saturday 17th November, 2007

ACTOR Russell Crowe made a splash with his neighbours on the NSW Mid North Coast yesterday when he opened Nana Glen's first public swimming pool.
The Oscar winner offered to build a pool in the rural town, outside Coffs Harbour, after a 12-year-old boy drowned at a beach in the area about five years ago.
Almost all 500 residents of Nana Glen turned up at the Orara Valley community pool to thank Crowe for his generosity, which extends to sponsoring the local primary school and sporting teams.
Former Olympic swimmer Geoff Huegill did the first lap, but a fully clothed Crowe dived in soon afterwards.
Swimming lessons for locals start tomorrow in the pool, for which father-of-two Crowe reportedly paid about a third of the $875,000 total building bill.
"A few years ago we had a tragedy in the valley with a kid dying," Crowe told the Nine Network yesterday.
"If this pool can save one life it's been worth it.
"I also have fantasies of one day sitting up here in the valley and seeing a young'un competing for Australia at the Olympics."
Source: The Sun-Herald November 18, 2007