New Ping Pong Table at Tieri Aquatic Centre

As part of its ongoing investment in the local community, Oaky Creek Coal (OCC) recently purchased a new outdoor ping pong table to be installed at the Tieri Aquatic Centre.

Local engineering business Barco Industrial, based in Capella, designed and built the table, which was successfully installed on Wednesday, 5th June. It’s made from plate steel and weighs 700 kgs, making it virtually indestructible. A permanent net is included and everything is painted bright blue, to match the swimming pool.

“Through the Local Voices surveys, and other feedback channels, the community has told us they want more activities available in town, especially for youths and teens,” explains Kate French, Environment & Community Advisor at OCC. “OCC has previously supported Capella State School in purchasing two ping pong tables through our SmartyGrants program. By all reports, these have proven to be very popular and that’s where the idea to purchase one for Tieri Pool stemmed from. It’s a fantastic community improvement project that will hopefully be enjoyed by locals of all ages.”

Charlie Casey, Pool Supervisor, agrees. “Ping pong is a universal sport – it encourages movement, builds hand-eye coordination and is very social. So, whether you’re 7, 17 or 70, there are plenty of physical and mental health benefits. There’s already a buzz about town as the Tieri community is very excited about this new community asset. The table was put to use straight away! We’re grateful that Glencore has so kindly arranged this upgrade to the Aquatic Centre.”

The ping pong table is available for all persons using the Tieri Pool during normal pool supervised opening hours. Bats and balls for the ping pong table are available, free of charge, from Tieri Pool staff.

“As well as the new ping pong bats and balls, we also have netballs, basketballs and footballs available for the community to sign out from the Pool canteen to use at the new multipurpose courts,” says Charlie. “We thought it would be nice to have some sports balls available for use to encourage the community to stay active and have fun.”

Entry fees (at the time of writing) to Tieri Pool are just $4 for adults and $3.50 for children attending school, or aged 3 – 17 years. Children under 3 and non-swimming adults / guardians accompanying young swimmers are free.

The Pool also has a range of pool memberships to cater to different requirements – including weekly, monthly, 6-monthly or annual membership – which are very competitively priced. Speak to Charlie or a member of the team for more information.