Learn-to-swim

As the art and sport of swimming grew in popularity during the nineteenth century, so did the belief that every girl and boy should learn to swim. Swimming was seen as a 'popular and healthy exercise', a 'graceful and useful art', a 'cleanly and exhilarating sport' and a 'reasonable security against loss of life by drowning'. Drowning was major concern in a colony that relied heavily on water transport and where men, women and children with few swimming skills habitually wore heavy clothing that increased their risk of drowning.

Since learning to swim was seen as an important part of a child's education, 'especially in the case of those living in a seaside town', most of the ocean pools have served as venues for learn-to-swim classes.

In the segregated bathing/swimming era, fathers could not teach their children to swim at the ocean baths reserved for ladies and children.

Schools, baths and swimming clubs offered tuition in swimming. While swimming classes were less common in country public schools, country children aged nine years or older could attend the NSW Education Department's Christmas Vacation Swimming Schools organised in Sydney and selected country centres from 1917 to 1940.

From the 1930s, the NSW Amateur Swimming Association also believed strongly that people should be able to learn to swim at no cost and organised an extensive learn-to-swim program through its member clubs. Instructors from affiliated clubs based at the ocean pools travelled to centres in county NSW to offer swimming instruction under this scheme.

In 1939, the NSW Department of Public Instruction established the Physical Education and National Fitness Branch with responsibility for the supervision of physical education in schools, and weekly and vacation swimming schools.  In 1972, the Sports portfolio of the NSW Chief Secretary's Department took over the functions of the National Fitness and Recreation Service. This Sports portfolio then transferred in 1975 to the Department of Culture, Sport, and Recreation, which in 1976 became the Department of Sport and Recreation. The National Fitness Council was then abolished. The NSW Department of Sport and Recreation  then administered the 'Swimsafe' program.

As home swimming pools became common, they were required to be fenced to reduce the risk of accidental drowning by young children. These days, children less than a year old are often taken to pools to accustom them to water and let them enjoy the experience of being 'weightless' in the water. Programs for children as young as six months help develop their water awareness, confidence and skills like flotation, submerging and buoyancy, giving the children more confidence when they begin formal swimming lessons from around the age of two. While the Royal Life Saving Society believes children should be able to swim early, some swimming schools will not accept children under three years of age.

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