Jenny Gray delights in the reactions of her young charges when they walk through the doors of the Wangaratta Sports and Aquatic Centre (WSAC) and spot their swimming teacher.

Cries of "Jenny!" can be heard as children arrive for what they think is just a fun time in the pool with one of their favourite people, but which their parents and teacher know is setting them up with essential skills for life.

Part of a team of instructors at WSAC, Jenny is now in her 25th year as a swim teacher, and is estimated to have taught somewhere between 7500 and 9000 children over that time.

"She's quite possibly taught the equivalent of just over a quarter of Wangaratta's current population," Rural City of Wangaratta sports, aquatics and events precinct manager Leon Newton said.

Indeed, Jenny said she'd taught many of the young lifeguards who keep watch over the pool as she conducts lessons with children aged from about six months to pre-school level, and with Wangaratta District Specialist School students.

In addition to classes at WSAC, where she also enjoys mentoring younger teachers, Jenny travels to Myrtleford, Albury, Wodonga and Lavington over Christmas to conduct VICSWIM sessions.

And her engaging approach even saw parents and children following her down the freeway to Benalla when she worked for a time at the pool there.

She's frequently 'celebrity spotted' by children accompanying their parents to the supermarket, and one day had a youngster exclaim, "Mum, Jenny's got legs" after seeing her out of the pool for the first time… perhaps he'd thought she was a mermaid, considering he'd always seen her in the water.

She has, after all, been a water-lover from an early age; she grew up spending time along the Murray River, waterskiing and swimming, and honing her strokes with Wangaratta's swim club, from under 13 level up to competing in butterfly as an under 19.

"We lived near Painters Island Caravan Park, which would always flood, so safety around water was important," she said.

"I've just always been fascinated by water and how you can move through water."

When she welcomed her own children, the mum-of-three was keen to ensure they had the same confidence in the water she'd enjoyed.

She called on the skills of Max Batey, who had coached her in swim club, and he said he'd have her eldest daughter Tegan swimming a lap of the Chisholm Street pool within a week - "and he did".

Watching his engaging manner, Jenny thought she'd enjoy such a rewarding role, and as her kids grew, she trained and began combining swim teaching with her hairdressing work.

Her warmth can set even the most reluctant of young swimmers at ease, though Jenny admits she's often walked away with red marks around her neck from where they've held on in fright as they've first entered the water.

"I just love seeing a child who's been low on confidence walking out happy," she said.

"They are sometimes scared to get in the pool, but I'm more of a Nanna than a teacher, and they'll chat away to me.

"I've heard a lot of reasons for not getting in the pool - things like 'my arms are sore' - but at the end of the day they'll often get in for their lesson, then give me a high-five at the end and say, 'That was good'.

"They love having fun, and then they'll turn around and say, 'I did it!" when they haven't been sure about it.

"It's about treating kids with a bit of love, getting them in the water and doing a few little things at a time, so they know enough that they could get themselves out of trouble.

"I'm passionate about teaching kids to swim and be safe."

Water Safety Week is much-anticipated in Jenny's classes, and she said her young students were always eager to find out about how to be safe around water.

She said she would encourage any parent to enrol their child in swimming lessons as early as possible, and to keep them up even over the colder months.

"We get a lot of people pulling their kids out over winter because it's cold, but they need to keep going so that they're ready once summer comes," she said.

"I'd also encourage people to really utilise their WSAC membership, which comes with swimming lessons, to use the pool through the school holidays with their kids, while lessons are not running.

"Come and have a swim anytime - that’s how they learn."

Now a grandmother of three, Jenny said she loved watching her grandsons gain confidence in the water, just like her own kids and the many students she's taught over the years… and she has no plans to leave the pool.

"I love swim teaching - I'll probably be here until I'm 90," she laughed.