For children who find ordinary surf education difficult to access, a morning at Bronte Beach can require more preparation than turning up with a board and a towel. Ross Leighner helps families and volunteers adapt that experience to individual needs, allowing neurodivergent children to develop water safety skills in a supported setting.
His work as Lead Clinician with Autism Swim’s Dippers program has earned him the 2026 Westfield Bondi Junction Local Hero award, bringing a $20,000 grant to Autism Swim.
Ross’s commitment to water safety has personal roots. Early in his career, he helped save a student following a near-fatal drowning. After moving to Sydney, he also found a sense of community through a local surf lifesaving club and came to appreciate what participation in beach life could mean for people who had previously felt excluded.
“The ocean has been deeply transformative in my own life,” Ross told Westfield. “After moving to Sydney, I felt incredibly lucky to become part of a local surf lifesaving club and beach community.”
Not your usual Sunday Nippers
For many families in the eastern suburbs, Nippers is a familiar introduction to surf safety, swimming and beach activities. A conventional group format, however, may not suit every child, particularly those who need additional sensory, communication or learning support.
Dippers adapts surf education to the participant rather than expecting every child to follow the same timetable or activity. At Bronte, the program has operated since 2022, bringing families together with surf lifesaving volunteers and specialist guidance.
Bronte Surf Life Saving Club describes an eight-week program, generally held during the first school term, for children aged five and older, subject to places being available. Participating families are not charged, and each child is supported by two water safety volunteers. Activities may include games on the sand, swimming and board skills, depending on individual needs and conditions.
Ross works with families and volunteers to plan appropriate support. As he explained to Westfield, “I focus on equipping individuals, families and volunteers with the knowledge and strategies to reduce risk and build confidence in the water.”
For families, it’s about more than swimming
The social aspect matters as much as the activities themselves. Families who have found it difficult to access group recreation may value the chance for their children to take part alongside others, with volunteers who understand that progress will look different for each participant.
Following the inaugural Bronte Dippers season, parent Sally Snow described her family’s experience in an account published by the surf club. She explained that while private lessons could help her daughters learn individual skills, they did not always offer the social opportunities available through a group program. Dippers provided a way to participate in beach activities with appropriate support.
The model also gives surf lifesaving volunteers experience working with children whose needs differ from those encountered in conventional Nippers sessions. Autism Swim’s 2025 Dippers report recorded more than 68 participants across five locations, including Bronte, Bondi, Coogee, Warriewood and Port Macquarie. That is a program-wide figure, not a count for Bronte alone.
A Local Hero Award for Ross
Ross was named Westfield Bondi Junction’s 2026 Local Hero, securing a $20,000 grant for Autism Swim. Westfield’s earlier finalist information indicated that the proposed use of the funding was to help expand the program beyond its existing locations, including clinician and operating costs.
The centre’s other two finalists each received $5,000. Colin Scotts, co-founder of Brain 4 Life, advocates for awareness, research and prevention relating to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease associated with repeated head impacts. Sophie Sparks leads You Can Sit With Me, which provides tools for schools, clubs and community groups seeking to reduce loneliness and exclusion.
At Bronte, Dippers continues to depend on families, clinicians and trained volunteers working together. The Westfield grant provides Autism Swim with funding to pursue wider access to that model, while the existing local program remains focused on individualised, supervised surf education.
Published 22-Oct-2026
