The pool party has been running in conjunction with Australia Day celebrations for many years and is becoming more popular, according to Australia Day Committee chairman George Weston.

“I went down with the ambassador (Anupam Sharma) later in the evening and everyone was having a great time,” Councillor Weston said. 

“It seemed to be a really big hit with everyone that was there. 

“I thought it was good to see a lot of young families there because that is something we have been aiming for.”

In previous years the pool party has included games and festivities, with a DJ providing the musical entertainment this year. 

“We didn’t have the games and things we’ve had in the past this year, but I’m hoping to bring it back again next time,” Cr Weston said. 

“People really enjoyed the tug-of-war and thong-throwing in the past, so hopefully if we have more people come on board the committee we’ll be able to get it back up and running again. 

“We’ve got such a great facility in our pool at Leeton, so there’s plenty of potential for these sorts of things to happen.”

The pool party was free to community members in a bid by Leeton Shire Council to encourage more people to celebrate Australia’s national day. 

Residents took the opportunity to enjoy the refreshing waters, as well as socialise with friends and family. 

“I thought it was a great way to celebrate Australia Day,” Cr Weston said. “You can’t really get anything more Australian than a pool party. 

“People have been commenting and saying it was a really great event.

“It really adds to the celebrations … we’ll definitely do it again next year.”

Cr Weston said all of Leeton shire’s Australia Day celebrations were well received. 

He praised the nominees of the shire’s awards, as well as those that assisted in organising the many breakfasts and the official ceremony in Mountford Park. 

“We really are quite lucky to live in Leeton,” Cr Weston said. 

“We’ve got some really great facilities that are showcased on Australia Day. 

“Australia Day is about getting together as a community and celebrating and that’s exactly what we did.

“We had some great nominees and award winners with our Australia Day awards. 

“One of my favourite parts of the day is seeing these people get the recognition they deserve for the hard work they do in our town.”

Cr Weston said Mr Sharma was particularly impressed with the town’s facilities, including the pool. 

“We took him around town throughout the weekend and he was pretty happy with what he saw,” he said. 

“He enjoyed his time here and we liked having him here to show off our town and what there is to offer here in the shire.”