Carlile History

Carlile Swimming Leading the Way Since 1946

Our Story

Inspired by a legacy of scientific discovery and constant innovation. Carlile Swim is a world-renowned name in swimming and stands unmatched in the pursuit of excellence in swimming education.

Forbes and Ursula Carlile created the swim teaching and coaching profession in Australia. For almost 80 years, their philosophy, values and inspiration have shaped our teaching methods and made the school that bears their name, the most successful in the country.

Forbes, who started at the Palm Beach rock pool in 1946 is the father of coaching. Australia’s first Olympic swimming coach is also the only person in the world to coach at an Olympics before competing.

In 1972 Ursula became the first woman to coach Australia at the Olympics, she is also the only woman to be the head coach of the Australian swimming team.

Together the Carlile’s pioneered innovations adopted across the world, including:

Inventing the pace clock.
Establishing Australia’s first specialist sports science laboratory.
Building the first purpose built indoor heated teaching pool where they pioneered baby and toddler swimming.
Pioneering lane ropes, circle swimming, tapering, goggles, interval training, heart rate monitoring and cardiograms, use of 16mm film to study form under water and more.

They also establish the first commercial swim school in Australia, a move that put them on a collision course with Australian swimming officials and the International Olympic Committee.

Professional coaches were banned from the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. Not to be outdone, Forbes secured a role commentating, so he could be at the pool to coach.

The team, featuring legends including Dawn Fraser and Murray Rose remains the most successful in Australian swimming history, winning a greater percentage of gold medals than at any Games before or since. The pioneer and his fellow coaches had outsmarted the officials… they would never attempt to ban professional coaches again.

Together Forbes and Ursula went on to nurture champions who dominated the sport globally, including legend Shane Gould who at 15 became the only person in history to hold every freestyle world record from 100m to 1500m. Shane also won five individual medals at the Munich Olympics including three golds, a single Olympics haul that remains unmatched by any Australian.

Carlile coached swimmers:

Forbes and Ursula established world-class, purpose-built pools for the program they developed. They are both in the:

Sadly, Forbes passed away in 2016 and Ursula passed in 2023.

As our Swim School grows, Carlile will operate more swim schools around the country. In these nurturing and joyful environments, we will teach children to swim in the committed belief that Forbes was right when he said:

To Swim Well Is An Asset For Life!

- Forbes Carlile

Of course, he was not only referring to ability in the water, but to the endless opportunities that swimming well provides, and the self-confidence, self-discipline, integrity and courage that the process inspires.

Timeline

Timeline

1946

World First

With a master’s degree in science Forbes Carlile begins his coaching career at the Palm Beach rock pool. He invents the pace clock now seen on pool decks throughout the world. Bottom right of that photo is John Davies, who went on to be Carlile’s first world record holder and Olympic champion.

1948 - 1952

Australia’s First

Forbes becomes Australia’s first Olympic swimming coach at the London Games, four years later he achieves the still unique distinction of becoming the only person to compete at an Olympics after coaching at the Games when he becomes Australia’s first Modern Pentathlete.

1955 - 1956

Creating The Profession

Forbes and Ursula Carlile open the first commercial swim school in Australia and the first specialist sports science laboratory. Forbes leads a small group of Aussies to defy the ban on professional coaches at the Olympics. Refused entry, he gets a job with the ABC so he could be on pool deck. The Australian team win more than 60% of the events a record that remains unequalled. Professional coaches would never be banned again.

1961

Pioneer Baby Teaching

Forbes and Ursula build Australia’s first purpose built indoor heated teaching pool at Cross Street, Ryde and pioneer baby and toddler teaching.

1964

Sharing International Success

The Australian swimming team prepare for the Tokyo Olympics at the Castle Cove pool while Forbes and Ursula coach The Netherlands. Ada Kok becomes another Carlile coached Olympic Gold medallist and world record holder. For years the Carlile’s would tour the world sharing their knowledge and passion for swimming.

1967 - 1968

New Beginnings

The Australian swimming team prepare for the Tokyo Olympics at the Castle Cove pool while Forbes and Ursula coach The Netherlands. Ada Kok becomes another Carlile coached Olympic Gold medallist and world record holder. For years the Carlile’s would tour the world sharing their knowledge and passion for swimming.

1971

Carlile’s Greatest

15-year-old Shane Gould becomes the only person in history to hold every freestyle world record from 100m to 1500m at the same time, she also held the 200IM world record.

1972

Another Olympic First

Ursula Carlile becomes the first woman to coach the Australian Olympic team. Shane wins a record 5 individual medals including three gold all in world record time. Carlile team-mate Gail Neall wins gold in the 400IM also in world record time. Ursula would later become the first woman to be the head coach of the Australian Swimming Team.

1976

Hall Of Fame

Forbes Carlile is inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

1980

Olympic Turmoil

Forbes Carlile was appointed head coach of the Australian team for the Moscow Olympics, but joined the boycott after the Russian invasion of Afghanistan.

1985

Carlile Growth Continues

Carlile adds the Killarney Heights pool and begins the systemisation of teaching and coaching. The pool declared a high-performance centre by swimming Australia.

1991 - 1994

Aquatic Achievers Is Born

Niel and Brenda Douglas launch Aquatic Achievers in Woodridge in Queensland. Later, they moved to Chandler, Brisbane’s then leading aquatic centre, home of the 1982 Commonwealth Games.

1995

Bill Kirby’s Teaching Career

Australian swimmer and sports science student, Bill Kirby begins his career as a swimming teacher.

2000

Sydney’s Golden Games

In a team that included Ian Thorpe, Michael Klim and Todd Pearson, Bill Kirby anchors the 4×200 Freestyle relay to a world record and Olympic gold. Bill would break 6 world records in his career.

2002 - 2012

Golder Foundations

The Carlile Foundation is established to support elite swimming into the future. Carlile add five new facilities in Sydney and one in Melbourne while Aquatic Achievers add five new facilities in Brisbane.

2016

Winning In The West

Kirby Swim begin expanding and go on to add a further four facilities becoming the leading swim school in West Australia. Sadly at 95 Forbes passes away, tributes poor in from across the globe.

2018

Soul Patts Dive Into Swimming

Soul Patts a fifth-generation family company and the second oldest on the Australian Stock Exchange, purchase Aquatic Achievers.

2023

Soul Expansion

Soul Patts purchase Kirby Swim and Carlile Swimming establishing a group which is now 30 pools strong and teaches more than 60,000 children each week. At 86 Ursula Carlile, who forged a career that broke down barriers for women across the globe, passes away.

2024

More Olympic Gold

Liv Wunsch, who started with Carlile as a toddler, becomes our latest Olympic gold medallist. Carlile coached swimmers have competed at every Olympic trials since 1948 a record unmatched by any club team in the world. We have produced 8 world record holders, more than 50 Australian representatives and won a record of more than 250 Australian Open Championship gold medals.

2025

United and On Top

The Carlile Swim Program is rolled out across the group, Aquatic Achievers now officially rebranded as Carlile Swim. Our age group swim team, full of swimmers developed through our learn to swim program, regains the title as Australian Age Champions. Liv Wunsch anchors the 4x100m relay team to world championship gold.

2026 and Beyond

Success An Inevitable Outcome

The Carlile Swim Program is rolled out across the group, Aquatic Achievers now officially rebranded as Carlile Swim. Our age group swim team, full of swimmers developed through our learn to swim program, regains the title as Australian Age Champions. Liv Wunsch anchors the 4x100m relay team to world championship gold.

At Carlile Swim we carry a legacy of achievement and innovation, we honour that legacy by providing exceptional experiences for our children and their families every day. Joining Carlile Swim is a commitment to excellence. We aim to be better tomorrow than we were today. Together we will create an atmosphere where success for our children, their families and our team is an inevitable outcome.

"To Swim Well Is An Asset For Life"

— Forbes Carlile

We make every swimmer safe, strong, and comfortable in the water, whether they’re taking their first splash as babies or refining competitive strokes. With a proven approach that combines world-class expertise and a caring environment, Carlile helps swimmers reach their full potential so they can swim with confidence for life.