History
In the formative years of Canberra as the Capital City of Australia, swimming was an integral part of its development. Some of the trophies that the Telopea club possesses help to tell the story of swimming in those early days more than 60 years ago. The records that have been maintained by the club are yet another reminder of swimming in Canberra as it grew into the thriving city that it is today. Please take a few moments to discover the richness of the history of the Telopea Amateur Swimming Club and its associations with the swimming community over the last 47 years. We are fortunate that this history has not been lost.
The Telopea Amateur Swimming Club was initially formed in November 1964 as an offshoot of the Canberra Amateur Swimming Club which had originated at the 33 1/3 yards outdoor Manuka Swimming Pool in 1931. The Telopea Amateur Swimming Club trained at Manuka until 1975. Although still based at the Manuka pool, the club then trained in summer at the 50 metre Civic pool and in winter at the Canberra Grammar School 25 metre indoor pool.
In 1984, the club moved to the 50 metre indoor heated pool at the Oasis Leisure Centre in Deakin and also trained at the 50m outdoor pool at Phillip over summer.
With the closure of the pool in Deakin, the Telopea Amateur Swimming Club moved its base to the Phillip Swimming and Ice Skating Centre. The club trains here in the 50m outdoor pool over summer, as well as at the Canberra Girls Grammar School 25 metre indoor pool (all year round) and at the Queanbeyan Aquatic Centre, Queanbeyan (in winter).
Telopea boasts a long history of success in the pool, claiming Olympians, World record holders, Paralympic and World Championship medallists as well as multiple Australian Age, NSW Open, Age and Country champions amongst its present and past members.
Every member of the Telopea 1999 National Team was presented with a Ministerial Sports Encouragement Award for their outstanding achievements in the field of Swimming by the Hon. Jackie Kelly MP, Federal Minister for Sport and Tourism at Parliament House, Canberra on 23 November 1999.