Doug Reich-Rimes, who released a short film about the Phillip pool earlier this year, grew up in Woden where the local swimming pool was his "town square".
"This was essentially the backdrop of my childhood," he said, standing outside the pool on Wednesday.
"Phillip pool, Woden Plaza, the bus interchange, all that stuff."
Doug used to go to the Phillip pool with his grandfather or mother; with his school for swimming carnivals. He'd go down the slide when he was younger and, later, when he was older, meet up with mates at the pool over the school holidays.
It was everyone's pool. Our pool. And Our Pool is the name of his short doco.
"Outdoor pools are kind of the great equalisers of Australian society," he said.
"Everyone's welcome. People from all walks of life come. Different age groups. It is kind of like our town square. Woden really doesn't have a town square. People will see each other in Woden Plaza, but that's a commercial space.
"That's why I think these kind of facilities are so important."
The Phillip pool remains open but for how long is uncertain.
Geocon has approval to build on the site 286 units, a new aquatic facility including a 25-metre pool and cafe, and basement parking. It is the first stage of the developer's hopes to build nearly 700 units on the site.
The first pools to go will be the baby pool and middle-sized kids' pool.
The development application given the green light in December, 2025 does not cover the areas now occupied by the 50-metre pool and ice rink, which are slated to be demolished later, if Geocon's plans are approved.
Doug, who now lives in Melbourne where he is finishing his master's in teaching, heard about the imminent demise of the Phillip pool through his mum Jenny Reich, who is involved in the Save Phillip Pool campaign.
He decided to contribute by making the film, interviewing local swimmers in January, 2025, and treating the process like storing away a time capsule of memories of the pool.
"I decided to make the film, firstly, as an advocacy tool for the campaign and for the pool. And secondly, I was thinking, in the back of my mind, 'There is a real possibility this pool might actually disappear and the campaign may not work'," he said.
"So I also wanted to capture a memento, a time capsule of the pool, so we have that. Because it is an iconic, 1970s, mid-century pool and I didn't think anyone else was going to do it, so I felt compelled to do so."
The film also contains archival footage sourced from the National Film and Sound Archive.
A free public screening of Our Pool was held on Thursday, March 12 at Photo Access in Manuka.
Doug's band will play and there will be guest speakers before the film is shown outside at sunset, just a stone's throw from Manuka pool. (Doug could not get permission to stage the screening at Phillip pool.)
He said the film was also called Our Pool, because the same closure of local pools was happening not just in Canberra, but in communities across the country.
"I definitely feel sad," he said.
"I feel buildings and facilities like these are what makes Canberra 'Canberra'.
"I wonder how people would feel if Manuka pool was going to be demolished?
