Learning To Swim

During the last 18 months, more than 400 young Gisborne children have learnt to swim, and gain confidence in the water, at the hands of the city's first professional swimming coach, Tony Pickett.

A former local title-holder, Pickett reached the peak of his personal swimming career in 1959, when he recorded the fastest time over 100 yards in New Zealand for that year.

Now he has directed his interest in swimming to conducting his Learm-to-Swim classes, and has achieved outstanding results in the learner pool at the McRae Baths. Taking the children in classes of six, for ten lessons, he has taught 99% of them ability in the water.

Pickett also devotes a considerable amount of his time to coaching some of the district's top competitive swimmers.