WHEN I get older, I want to be a granny mermaid like Barbara Boreland.
The retiree is a daily swimmer at Wollongong Continental Pool, who no matter the weather will do laps with her bestie Maureen Schumacher.
If you see one of the two ladies at the pool, the other isn’t far away.
Both Maureen (left) and Barbara (right) swim in the far lane of the ‘big’ pool, closest to the breaking waves.
They share lollies and mandarins after their swim and gossip about the ladies who hog the hot water showers longer than the requested three minutes.
If the sun is out post-swim, Barbara and Maureen will mill about outside the surf lifesaving booth and chat to each other and their other pool buddies.
Both are warm and open conversationalists, who also enjoy swimming laps with the Port Kembla Mermaids – a swimming club for ladies.
Barbara tells me stories about her beautiful and deservingly spoilt grandchildren, and her penchant for after-swim Netflix and snacking sessions.
Lifeguard Dennis Papadis likes to take the piss out of myself and Rachel Lin, my bestie at the Conti.
He reckons Rachel is Maureen and I am Barbara, when we get older.
Rachie and I are similar in the way that we frequently swim together.
Rachel wears a Batgirl swim cap, and I wear a Supergirl one. We also have matching hoodie towels, by pure coincidence.
After our swim, if the sun is out, Rachel and I congregate outside the lifeguard booth and strike up conversations with other swimmers and the super-duper lifeguards.
Food sharing is a common Conti occurrence, and Dennis says he has been lucky enough to get chocolate from both Barbara and myself on separate occasions.
To be honest, I am happy to be compared to Barbara and Maureen.
One windy and rainy 13 degree Wednesday at the Conti in September, Barbara, Maureen and I were the only ones to brave the pool just after lunch.
And once they left, I had the two pools to myself!
“Only one pool per person, please,” Dennis joked.
While Rachel likes the idea of swimming at the Conti with me into old age, she insists she will never get in and out of the pool via the steps, like Barbara and Maureen.
Rachel is a yogi and rock climber who easily palms her hands flat to the edge of the pool and pushes herself up and out.
And the same goes with me.
I hope to always be able to haul my old ass outta the pool using the strength of my yoga and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu arms.
Namaste bitches!
Yoga teacher, skydiver, martial artist and journalist. Yoga keeps her centred and reinforces her core belief that the greatest gift to each of us is ourselves. When Dawn isn’t teaching yoga, she works as a skydive camerawoman, grapples with her mates at Gracie Barra Shellharbour, and does media and promotions for stuff she loves.
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