The pool at the Dubbo RSL Aquatic and Health Club was closed in late February, amid safety concerns about the roof of the facility.

It still unknown when the facility will reopen, with Dubbo RSL Memorial Club general manager Gus Lico telling the Daily Liberal “we're working with contractors to get it up and running as soon as possible”.

Narelle Dunbar was a regular at the club’s Aqua classes, and credits the year-round access to the pool for holding her familial osteoarthritis at bay.

She said there were countless people missing the facility.

“Some … really need it for their health,” Mrs Dunbar said.

“A friend of mine has had two TIAs (mini strokes) and they told her she needed to lose weight and the best way to do that is in the water.

“Well she hasn’t been able to do that … hopefully her health is on track without Aqua.”

Another woman, who has fibromyalgia, reported a worsening in her condition since the aqua classes – the only exercise she could do – were put on hold.

Mrs Dunbar said people understood the need for the pool to be closed, but “it would be good to have a timeline” so they could make other arrangements.

“There’s all these people waiting and putting their health on hold in the meantime,” she said.

“Maybe they’d stop putting their health on hold. People will have to bite the bullet and try to find an alternative if they can.”

Another former pool user, Jan Palmer, said it was unacceptable for Dubbo to be without an indoor pool.

“Orange has a heated pool,” she said.

“Why doesn’t council have a heated pool? We’re not a small country town – we’re a major city.”

“Dubbo is an Evocity,” Mrs Dunbar added.

“Their platform is you can do everything in regional cities that you can do in metropolitan cities.

“Well Dubbo is falling down … the other Evocities have a lot more to offer than we do at the moment. It’s a bit of a disbenefit that they can’t provide facilities at the moment, and for goodness knows how long.”

Mayor Ben Shields agreed it was “absolutely critical” for Dubbo to have an indoor pool.

But he declined to say whether Dubbo Regional Council had plans for its own facility.

He has thrown his support behind the RSL Club.

“It is very disappointing for the city,” Councillor Shields admitted. “However I’d be keen to allow the RSL the time to get back up on their feet.

“I think the best thing we can do at the moment is to have an understanding that these issues are complex, to do with construction.

“There are many different people looking at this – engineers, different workmen with qualifications far greater than your average mayor – so I just think we all need to be calm about this and let the RSL work through their issues.

“For many, many years they have run top-notch facilities … they’re an invaluable contributor to the Dubbo economy and therefore I wouldn’t even consider for one moment kicking them while they’re down.”