The official opening of Roxburgh’s $3 million Ida MacDonald swimming pool was marked by the Insall sisters walking down memory lane.
Wendy McLennan, of Lincoln, Deanna Sydney, of Dunedin, and Natalie Sutherland, of Rangiora, grew up in Roxburgh as the Insall girls — three of five sisters, including Denise and the late Heather.
Mrs Sydney said all three donned their togs and tried out the pool.
"We had a lovely day there on Sunday, we really enjoyed it."
Mrs Sydney said she had fond memories of growing up in the house her father built opposite Jimmy’s Pies.
"We had great times in Roxburgh, it was a good place to be a kid but a bit boring for teenagers," she said.
The swimming pool was where they spent most of their summer days. Swimming coaches Alan McIntosh, who worked for Mr Insall and Mrs Walker from the Teviot Tearooms took lessons and all the Insall girls took part.
While her sisters were good swimmers "I just floundered around", Mrs Sydney said.
She still visited the late Mr McIntosh’s wife Pat at the Teviot Valley Rest Home.
There was always lots to do for children in Roxburgh, she said.
"We would swim at the pool and Pinders Pond, go on bike rides down to Millers Flat and back up the other side, climb the hills and skate at Manorburn in the winter."
Despite Roxburgh being a bigger town then — there were two groceries stores, two shoe shops, a Health Camp and bus depot — where one of her sisters worked — there was not a lot for teenagers to do.
"We would go to the Teviot Tearooms and play the jukebox."
None of the girls were allowed to leave school until they had jobs and all her sisters secured work in the town, Mrs Sydney said.
She and her parents moved to Tauranga when she was 16 but she still loved to return to the town she grew up in.
