Next time you indulge in a swim at the picturesque Black Head Ocean Baths, spare a thought for the group of dedicated volunteer pool caretakers known as Dad's Army.
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Once a week throughout the warmer months and fortnightly during the rest of the year, a group of mostly-retired men pitch in to clean and maintain the pools.
Taking their name from the 1970s English television series depicting a band of ineffectual World War II Home Guardsmen, the moniker fits the group's laid back sense of humour and self deprecation.
According to Dad's Army member Peter Ryall, there's a lot of good-natured ribbing that goes on between members, but that's all part of the fun.
"We get a lot of camaraderie, we all get along very well together, it's all very social," Peter said.
The group, which began in 1988, has about 40 members on its books, with between a dozen to 20 generally on hand helping out on any given maintenance day.
It's such a change from when I first started when sometimes we'd only have three or four turn up, but over the years its built up so now we've got pretty close 40 blokes on the books
- Dad's Army member, Peter Ryall
The cleaning process involves draining the pool, followed by sweeping sand, gravel and any debris from its floor.
A portable pressure pump is used to blast the pool walls with water while members sweep and scrub as necessary.
Finally, a very light chlorine mix is sprayed before the pool is refilled.
While the time spent working on site ranges from an hour to an hour and a half, the whole process from start to finish can take up to 10 hours.
The result is a pool that is clean and safe to use.
Not that their efforts are always appreciated by those wanting to use the pool on a cleaning day, with volunteers occasionally asked "Can't you just clean it at night?"
Of course, with the cleaning schedule being dependent upon operating on a low tide, visitor convenience cannot always be guaranteed.
Fortunately though, complaints of this nature are at a minimum.
"We know we are respected by the community because they keep telling us," Peter said.
Anyone wishing to join Dad's Army can do so by attending the next cleaning event held on Thursdays, with the scheduled listed on the equipment shed adjacent to the pool.
