Hunter New England Health gagged contractors and gave media the boot in a bizarre standoff outside the Armidale Hospital’s hydrotherapy pool on Thursday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Brauer contractors approached The Express to announce the installation of a new, state-of-the-art filtration system to be installed at the pool.
But the healthcare giant prevented the media’s attempt to report the news.
The Express was not the first to be asked to leave, according to a HNEH employee.
“NBN were here as well and we basically had to do the same process with them,” the employee said.
Despite the debacle, the installation is welcome news for the Armidale community after the pool closed in January due to water quality problems.
The closure sparked controversy among the community and forced many hydrotherapy patients and private users to find alternative arrangements.
Two months after the closure and HNEH are still unable to commit to a date for the pool’s reopening but say they are “working to open the pool as soon as possible”.
“Work to install a replacement water treatment system at Armidale’s hydrotherapy pool started this week,” HNEH General Manager for Northern Tablelands Wendy Mulligan said.
The Armidale Lions Club built and donated the 40-year-old pool in 1978.
The Express spoke with past Lions Club president Lyndon Hardman in January who said the club had not received any information from HNEH and only learned of the pool’s closure from the media.
“We have tried to find out what’s going on and we’ve been fobbed off at most approaches,” he said in January.
Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall was also “shocked and surprised” by the news when approached by The Express in January.
“I still haven't been approached by the hospital manager, Wendy Mulligan,” he said at the time.
“If there is a need for assistance, I am more than happy to contact the minister.
“But I have not been asked or approached or even received a phone call about this.”
Some promising progress saw Brauer contractor Luther Mclachlan start installing the new Ozone Swim Pool Purification System on Thursday afternoon.
“It converts oxygen from O2 into O3 which is the same as what’s in the ozone layer and that’s injected into the water and then that kills bacteria and viruses 3.5 thousand times faster than what chlorine can,” he said.
HNEH apologised for Thursday’s bungle and said they had spoken to the contractor and reminded them of visitor protocol.
