Joe Fogg started out his working life making felt hats until he began a change of career and started work at Northcote Swimming Baths. He became Manager of the Baths and remained in the job for 40 years, retiring at the age of 78 when the pool was closed and replaced by a new pool in Victoria Road in 1969.
As the baths were open air, they were closed during the cool Melbourne winters. During this time Joe worked as a dog inspector and rates collector. Later he remarked that he must have knocked on every door in Northcote.
The Northcote Baths opened in 1923 in Frederick Street, and were located over an old brickworks hole. When the baths were built it was the largest financial project undertaken by the City of Northcote and had been planned before the onset of World War One.
Joe Fogg began teaching swimming at the baths in 1928 and became a well known figure in the local area and the field of swimming and lifesaving in Victoria over the years.
His dedication to teaching people to swim can be traced back to 1906 when he saved a boy from drowning in the Yarra River Joe received a bravery award for saving the boy.
Tragically, his brother who was a non-swimmer and had watched the rescue, drowned a few days later very near the same spot.
This incident sparked a life time of dedication to teaching swimming in the hope of preventing further tragedy.
Joe was already a keen swimmer as a young boy, but took life-saving lessons, gained all the life-saving awards and eventually qualified as an instructor.
He was closely connected with the history of Australian swimming education and was very much involved in the development of swimming strokes and techniques that were being created and refined throughout the world at that time. He used this knowledge to great effect when coaching swimmers and was the first instructor when a “learn to swim” campaign was launched in 1929.
Altogether Joe was involved in swimming and lifesaving for over 50 years and during that time it is estimated that he taught well over 40,000 children to swim, coached many to become champions and saved many lives. He proudly related that there had never been a drowning at the pool whilst he was manager.
In 1970, shortly after he retired, Joe Fogg was awarded the British Empire Medal for services to swimming. In February of that year he passed away, aged 78 years and was honoured by many of Northcote’s residents, dignitaries, former pupils and swimming champions. There were 50 cars in the funeral cortege.
Many local residents would have remembered with much affection their experiences learning to swim with Joe Fogg at the old concrete Frederick Street Baths. Now the area is a housing estate but there is still a front parapet and stairs that are reminders of its former use.
Sources
Joe Fogg – and 50 years of swimming history. Northcote Leader, 28 March 1956. pages 1 & 13
Well earned BEM awarded to Mr Fogg. Northcote Leader, 7 January 1970 page 3.
Northcote honours late Joe Fogg. Northcote Leader, 11 February 1970 page 7
Oral History interview recorded in 1983
