WHO WE ARE

Who We Are

Southern Swim School launched in 2019 with a mission to bring a new and innovative approach to swimming teaching to our community. Our directors, Josh & Brigette Crowther and Neisha & John Pitt, share a passion for education and innovation in teaching. Both couples are parents of young children, and already collaborate in running a successful early learning centre at Kirrawee.

After acquiring an existing pool at Kirrawee, our team has undertaken a major overhaul of the swim centre and pool. The swim program has been re-established from the ground up, with new teachers and a new tested-and-proven curriculum, led by our Head of Swimming, Leanne Oakley. As a family-owned and run swim school, we look forward to giving both our students and their parents the best possible experience and service.

Our Facility

Our state-of-the-art swim facility offers a safe and inviting environment for children to discover the joy of swimming. With experienced and certified instructors, we provide high-quality swim lessons that are both fun and educational. Whether your child is a beginner or looking to refine their skills, our personalized approach ensures they will develop confidence and become proficient swimmers. Dive into a world of aquatic adventures at Southern Swim School!

A family is posing for a picture together while sitting on a bench.

Josh & Brigette Crowther

DIRECTORS

Josh and Brigette are co-owners of Southern Swim School, along with Neisha and John. The couples are also partners in Stepping Stones Early Learning Centre at Kirrawee.

Brigette is also a high school teacher and trained geologist, while Josh comes from a financial services background.

Both Josh and Brigette have grown up by the water in the Sutherland Shire and St George, and their love for swimming continues.

Josh is a regular surfer, and a volunteer lifesaver at Wanda Surf Life Saving Club, where he holds a Silver Medallion and Advanced Resuscitation Techniques certificate. His ongoing experiences as a patrol member have made him even more passionate about swimming education and passing on the message of water safety.

Brigette is a keen water polo player and swimmer, who more recently has spent a lot of time in and by the pool with their four young children at swimming lessons.

Being well accustomed to the world of learn-to-swim parents, Josh and Brigette are motivated to make Learn to Swim as enjoyable and as fulfilling as possible for our students and their parents, both when at the pool and in terms of communication and administration.

Josh will be particularly involved in overseeing the operations of Southern Swim School, and in building connections and partnerships with our community. He plans to stay connected to what is happening on the pool deck, and will be a regular at our Southern Start education sessions for newborns.

A family is posing for a picture in front of a bush.

Neisha & John Pitt

DIRECTORS

Neisha and John are perhaps best known for winning Season 3 of Channel 9’s “The Block”, where their renovation skills, creativity and determination saw them take out the top auction result.

These days the couple own and operate Stepping Stones Early Learning Centres at Bexley and Kirrawee.

Neisha has more than 20 years of early childhood training and experience and holds a Bachelor of Teaching Early Childhood Education, while John operates a very successful traffic management services company.

The pair are excited to be partners in Southern Swim School, where they plan to combine their two loves of education and renovation!

They have already dived straight into improving the pool deck, upgrading the plant/machinery, and refreshing the general interior/exterior.

They also are keen to introduce fresh new ideas into swim teaching, based on their experiences in early childhood education. Neisha in particular believes in creating environments that inspire every child to pursue a sense of wonder, and plans to bring this approach into Southern Swim School.

High-school sweethearts, John and Neisha are married with two young children, who will also be swimming at Southern Swim School.

A woman is holding two babies in a swimming pool.

Leanne Oakley

HEAD OF SWIMMING

Leanne is an extremely passionate swim school manager, who started as a swim instructor while in high school, and has since helped thousands of children to learn to swim. She will be leading the direction, philosophy and administration of our Swim School.

Leanne has managed a number of large and successful Swim Programs, including:

Swim School Manager at Pymble Ladies’ College for eight years, where she had the opportunity to establish her own program in a new $38 million aquatic facility. It is now one of the leading programs in Australia, with the Swim Club ranked #1 in Sydney and #4 in Australia.
Aquatics Coordinator at a large Shire-based swim school, where over nine years she coached multiple swimmers through from babies to reaching state level – some of these faces you will see as instructors at Southern Swim!
Leanne has also lent her expertise to other private schools in Sydney as they opened and managed swim schools.

Leanne has strong mentors in some of the biggest names in the industry. Not only has she taught kids in the Learn to Swim setting, but has also coached state/national level swimmers at a high performance level. Her qualifications include:

Swim Australia Teacher of Swimming
Swim Australia Babies and Toddlers
Swim Australia Teacher of Learners with a disability
Coach of Swimmers with a disability
ASCTA Towards Competitive Strokes
ASCTA Bronze License Coach
Pool Lifeguard Certificate
Certificate IV in Workplace Training and Assessment

Leanne believes that children are capable of doing amazing things in the water at a young age. Having two kids of her own, and the chance to teach them as babies has reinforced this belief even more.

Southern Swim School is accredited through Swim Australia and Australian Swim Schools Association.

Swim Australia operates as a key industry body for 600 Swim Schools, and has become the national authority on teaching swimming and water safety. Swim Australia aims for continuous improvement of coaching and teaching techniques and methodologies and swim school operations.

Australian Swim Schools Association is uniquely focused on swim schools, with its mission to permanently reduce drowning deaths in Australia.

Our membership of these two associations is part of our firm belief in the concept of swim teaching as a profession and as a collaborative endeavour. We are strong advocates of working with and learning from professional bodies, other swim teachers and other pool owners to continually refine and improve the standard of swim teaching in Australia.

Our Staff

Our staff are safety certified and continue education regularly. We have a dedicated group of people who strive to ensure your swimmers have an excellent experience.

Click the button down below to meet our friendly staff and learn some fun things about them:

Meet Our Staff

Want To Join Our Team?

We offer a rewarding and fulfilling work experience for swimming instructors and support staff. Join our team and make a positive impact on children's lives by teaching them essential water safety skills. As part of the Southern Swim School team, you'll have the opportunity to work in a supportive and friendly environment with a flexible schedule. Enjoy the benefits of professional development opportunities, and the joy of helping children become confident swimmers.