"From Infants to Olympic Champion"

John Carew Swim School is a small family operated business.  The business is owned and operated by Barbara and David Carew.  Swimming has been part of the Carew's life for over 45 years.  We believe our experience and knowledge is unrivalled in the aquatic industry.  We have been providing professional 'Learn to Swim' and coaching services to the Western suburbs of Brisbane for over 30 years.

Qualified Staff & Facilities

We employ approximately 15 Teachers and Coaches.  All our teachers and coaches are fully accredited with Austswim/Swim Australia or Australian Swim Coaches & Teachers Association (ASCTA).  Our staff are very experienced and attend regular training sessions.  Our organisation and complex are also certified and approved by Swim Australia and Austswim. Our facilities are first grade and owned and operated by the family.  We have two heated fully enclosed pools.  The first is 20m x 10m (Heated to 31ºC) and the second is 8m x 4m (Heated to 32ºC). The complex is open all year round with easy access and parking.

History

In the beginning John Carew was an instructor with Surfers Paradise Surf Life Saving Club in the early 1950's.  It was here his passion for coaching grew.  His first coaching position started at Davies Park Pool at West End.  The pool was actually a cordoned off section of Brisbane River back then.  John moved for several years through various council owned pools including Langlands Park , Roselands, Bankstown and Jindalee Pool.

It was not until his second pool lease at Langlands Park that he met his soon to be wife, Barbara, that the business started to develop.  It was out of necessity that Barbara began 'learn to swim' classes back in 1971 at Jindalee swim pool.  After several years operating the council owned pool at Jindalee the Carew's wanted the security and certainty of owning their own facility.  In the late '70's an opportunity came in the form as a small block of land in Rennies Road , Indooroopilly.  It once housed public tennis courts, but was abandoned after the 1974 floods.

Here they bought a small caretaker's cottage and enough land to build their first pool.  Now 30 years on, and after significant renovations in 1999 there are two heated indoor pools, a 20 metre training pool and a 8 metre baby teaching pool.  Day after day year after year, hundreds of youngsters gather to learn water skills, some simply seeking general proficiencies, others would be champions.

Barbara says things have changed a great deal over the years.  "It is incredible. When we started, hardly anyone under eight years old was taught to swim.  About 15 years ago people started to be aware of pool safety and baby classes have grown in popularity."

Her dedication and love of teaching children has seen her teach thousands of children to swim over the past 30 years.   Barbara has actually reached a stage where she is teaching the third generation of some families to swim.

Their youngest son David has taken over running the business.  He has been doing so since he joined the business in 1996.  David has been around pools all his life and after a short stint in accounting decided to succeed the family business. He has an in-depth knowledge on running swim schools plus a wealth of knowledge on the swimming and coaching thanks to Barbara and John.  He has revitalised the business and will ensure John Carew Swim School continues to be operate and grow for at least another 30 years.