Saturday, May 8, 2010

Natatorium

I was on duty at the SHGV today and brought back this photo of lifeguards at the Natatorium wich must be from the 50s or the 60s. Perhaps some MVC members might recognize someone.

5 comments:

Les F said...

Hello Guy, we have posted that photo a few times over the years,& I think the site I saw that picture may have had the names included with the photo, I will try to find it again,In te meantime I do have some Natatorium shots in this album,& a few others.

HF&RV

Les F said...

Here is another shot of the lifeguards dated June 1943

This shot and others appear in one of my photo albums:& can be seen here.

There are a bunch of other non Natatorium shots in this album too.
HF&RV

Guy Billard said...

Les,
This photo is an original given to our society (SHGV) with a bunch of others by one of our members and I doubt that it was ever published, However, I am not sure of this.
Guy

Les F said...

Here is one of the lifeguards from that era:



The art of muscle building was relatively new in the early fifties and still frowned upon by the medical world. However, after three years of serious physical training and the help of many malted milkshakes, I was sometimes stopped by people wanting to know how I got my physique and how could they get some of the same development. This was my first proof that something probably good was really noticeable! Of course my spiritual body would also need development. All I had to do then it seemed was to find someone to train me in spiritual culture and then, presto - strangers perhaps noticing some halo would also ask me how to get such development!

The legendary St. Christopher had further inspired me to train and work at life guard duty during my school vacations, where I was impressed by childhood heroes and Olympic champions like Johnny Weissmuller (Tarzan) and Buster Crabbe (Flash Gordon) who participated during national swimming events at the Verdun Natatorium, and it was there that I met Micheline (same birthday) who was training at figure skating.
The whole story and a photo of one of the lifeguards is here:
http://www.raymondo.demon.co.uk/subud/likas.htm
I will find the other sites where I have seen that photo or one just like it,same people etc etc

Guy Billard said...

Les,
David Likas mentions that Johnny Weismuller attended competition events at the Natatorium. This was previously mentioned that J.W. was at the opening of the Nat wich would be around the beginning of the 40s. I checked the Guardian but found no evidence of his being at the event. If I knew when he was in Montreal I could check again.
Guy