Waves 2022 is the 60th National Aquatics Conference. To celebrate this anniversary, we've asked some of our past delegates what they’ve loved best about the past sixty years!

David Cameron

Q. When and where did you start in Aquatics? A. I started in Aquatics when I left the RNZAF to join my father in business in 1983. Although, having a father who started the public swimming pool filtration industry in this country, I was immersed (excuse the pun) in public swimming pools from birth.... As you may know, I was at the opening of the Caroline Bay Pool in the early 1960’s and even appeared on the front page of the Timaru Herald playing in the pool while dad was commissioning it (see photo).

Q. When did you attend your first aquatics conference? A. My first New Zealand Association of Swimming Pool Managers (Inc) Conference was 1983 in Hamilton. I was then invited onto the organising committee of the conference in Palmerston North in 1986.

Q. Most influential conference speaker/presentation? A. I was delighted to be asked to introduce Rob Waddell (pictured) as our keynote speaker at the Taupo JAWS conference. His talk was inspirational!

Q. Most memorable aquatics conference moment? A. You might see from the newspaper clipping attached, that I appeared on the front page of the Marlborough Express demonstrating the Maytronics Dolphin Robot Pool Cleaner that we first introduced into New Zealand from Israel. This was a pretty memorable conference – 1987.