The Black Belac arrives

MAKINO Aquatic Centre’s new inflatable will be known as The Black Belac.

Designer and former lifeguard, Caleb Gardner, selected the name from more than 220 entries in MAC’s naming competition.

The winning entry was supplied by Pamela Sandoe, of Feilding, with “black” referring to the inflatable’s colour and “belac” the spelling of Caleb’s name backwards. Pamela wins a 12-month pass for free swimming.

A consolation prize has also gone to Zane Hill, of Feilding, for his entry, Deinosuchus – named after a giant prehistoric crocodile that hunted dinosaurs.
Caleb was impressed with the number and standard of entries and said he went looking for names that had some originality.

The inflatable will be launched for public use from 1pm to 3pm on Saturday, December 13.

In the meantime, nearly 2000 people converged on the centre last weekend for the opening of the outdoor summer season - enjoying the hot conditions and the many improvements and upgrades recently carried out at the complex.

And 25 aqua instructors from as far afield as Taupo, Hawera and Wellington also enjoyed the facilities when attending a three-day MAC-organised regional training class involving sessions in the 50-metre pool and the dive well.