| Canterbury Makes a Splash as Community Celebrates New Aquatic Centre |
** “This is your facility, and you deserve the best— now and into the future.” — Mayor Bilal El-Hayek **
“Our area has as much right to the best services in Sydney and Australia as any other part of the country.” — The Hon. Tony Burke MP
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Canterbury Makes a Splash as Community Celebrates New Aquatic Centre
12/11/2026
Sydney-Middle East Times Int'l: Thousands of residents joined community leaders and dignitaries for the grand opening of the Canterbury Leisure and Aquatic Centre at Tasker Park, celebrating a major investment in recreation, health and community wellbeing.
The City of Canterbury-Bankstown welcomed politicians, local councillors, business leaders, community representatives and members of the media to the occasion, with visitors arriving from early morning to explore the new facilities.
The ceremony featured an Indigenous welcome, a traditional smoking ceremony and a didgeridoo performance, recognising the traditional custodians and their continuing connection to Country, culture and community.
Mayor Cr Bilal El-Hayek, the Hon. Tony Burke MP and Sophie Cotsis MP addressed the gathering before a commemorative plaque was unveiled. Their speeches celebrated the completed centre, acknowledged those who built it and recognised the community campaign that helped secure its future.
A New Chapter for Canterbury
Opening the proceedings, the master of ceremonies described the centre as the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the community.
The facility would provide a welcoming place where people of all ages could learn, remain active, build friendships and create lasting memories.
Residents were encouraged to explore the centre and make use of the opportunities it offered for swimming, exercise and social connection.
The celebration reflected years of planning, consultation and construction, as well as the determination of residents who wanted quality public facilities retained and improved for future generations.
Mayor Cr El-Hayek: “We Have Delivered”
Mayor El-Hayek welcomed the large turnout, describing it as “absolutely phenomenal”, and thanked the community for sharing in the milestone.
He acknowledged Tony Burke, representing the Prime Minister, and Sophie Cotsis, representing the NSW Premier, alongside parliamentary colleagues, neighbouring mayors and councillors.
The Mayor also recognised builder Lipman, the construction team, architects, designers, Council management and staff for bringing the project to completion.
“Building a world-class facility does not happen overnight. This has been a journey of many years,” he said.
The process began with a study examining the condition of Council’s leisure and aquatic centres and the facilities available in neighbouring areas.
It involved extensive planning and design meetings, feasibility studies, community consultation, financial considerations and construction challenges.
The site was handed over to Lipman on 8 January 2024. At the height of construction, as many as 150 workers were on site each day.
Mayor El-Hayek said more than 30,000 tonnes of material had been removed during demolition and excavation, requiring 2,387 truck trips.
Total construction time exceeded 280,000 hours. He praised the project’s safety standards, reporting that no worker had been injured.
Having visited the site throughout construction, including when the first concrete was poured, the Mayor said it was rewarding to see the finished centre ready for residents.
Facilities for All Ages
The centre includes a 50-metre pool, a 25-metre pool, a program pool, a children’s splash play area, a gym, two group fitness studios and a sauna.
It also provides an area where women’s groups can enjoy privacy, responding to a longstanding community request.
Additional amenities include a café and restaurant, with space for allied health services such as physiotherapy and dietetics.
Mayor El-Hayek said the three pools held approximately three million litres of water. The 50-metre pool alone contained around 1.5 million litres and took approximately eight days to fill.
Filtration systems and equipment maintain water quality, chlorine levels and balance, while a heat pump helps keep water temperatures stable for year-round use.
The centre has capacity for 1,200 people, with 40 lifeguards working on rotation across 104 operating hours each week.
The Mayor said the completed project demonstrated Council’s commitment to delivering quality facilities.
“There were some who said this project would never see the light of day. Well, we have delivered,” he said.
“This is your facility, and you deserve the best—now and into the future.”
** Tony Burke MP: A Victory Built on Community Determination
Tony Burke thanked Aunty Lyn for her welcome and praised the work of Council, community campaigners and construction workers.
He said the new centre, the nearby ice skating rink and the improving Cooks River reflected years of community effort.
At different stages, he recalled, important local assets had faced uncertain futures. There had been proposals to close the pool permanently, while the ice rink had also required a determined campaign to protect it.
The outcome, he said, belonged to the community.
It had taken the combined efforts of residents, elected representatives, campaigners and Council to secure facilities that everyone could now enjoy.
Mr Burke also acknowledged the workers who had spent years making the project possible, often in demanding conditions.
“We owe a great debt to every one of those workers,” he said.
He described the centre as an expression of a simple principle: local residents deserved access to services equal to those available anywhere in the country.
“Our area has as much right to the best services in Sydney and Australia as any other part of the country,” he said.
Calling the centre a “great shared backyard”, Mr Burke said it offered a valuable community space beside a river undergoing rehabilitation.
Its success demonstrated what could be achieved when residents worked together and local leadership supported their aspirations.
Sophie Cotsis MP: Swimming Skills That Can Change Lives
Sophie Cotsis thanked the Mayor, Council, workers and community members who had helped deliver the centre.
She recalled visiting during construction and seeing the results of a campaign that had brought residents together to protect both the pool and the ice rink.
Having learnt to swim at Canterbury Pool herself, Ms Cotsis said she understood its importance to local families and wanted future generations to have the same opportunity.
She emphasised the centre’s value to Canterbury’s multicultural community, particularly migrants who had not previously had the opportunity to learn to swim.
For those residents, access to swimming lessons could be life-changing.
Ms Cotsis also highlighted opportunities for young swimmers and lifeguards, alongside the ongoing employment the centre would provide.
She welcomed improved transport connections, saying residents would be able to combine public transport with walking or cycling to reach the facilities.
Thanking everyone involved, she described the centre as an example of local government delivering for its community.
“This is a fantastic facility, and we are very excited,” she said. “I cannot wait to go in for a swim.”
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