My father, Victor Levitt, died in November 2009. In July of that year his biography was published and this information is quoted from that book - Vicki Kitson
"In 1949 I had the idea of starting a swimming club and I formed Edmonton Swimming Club which became very successful over the years. I built up the swimming club, turning it into a social organisation as well. We were able to use the facilities of Croyland School which had been closed as a school but which the council kept in good shape, and I persuaded them to let me use it as a club room for the swimming club. It was a complete, broad, social club. It was run by a committee and I was the chief coach and the president of the club, but of course, I couldn't spend all my time in every activity and I only went there occasionally.
Every time somebody's child got picked for some event, or had publicity, this made about ten other parents envious and jealous, especially if they thought their child was as good or better. Some people were trying to remove me from being the chief coach because of all this kind of envy and jealousy. The club became a hotbed for intrigue and I was very naïve really. There was a move to call a special general meeting and I was warned about it and ultimately it came to a showdown.
In the end representatives from the Southern Counties of the ASA came down to arbitrate and a special meeting was called. They conducted an enquiry and made a report, which said very favourable things about me, and not very favourable things about the others. At the special meeting four people made the difference between my not winning the vote of confidence and the others winning. One of the most moving experiences I have ever had was the mass exodus as people walked out with me at the end of the vote. When we got outside they had a quick meeting and decided straight away to form the Edmonton Phoenix Swimming Club and all the swimmers came with me. The strength of feeling and emotion from my supporters was terrific.
Edmonton, of course, inherited everything – all the equipment that I'd got, cameras, everything belonged to them. They put up the fellow that I had trained to be my assistant coach to be the new chief coach to replace me. He was a very good friend and I think he was embarrassed that they moved that he be the chief coach at the meeting. I went home and wasn't any longer honoured as the founder of Edmonton Swimming Club or its chief coach. Instead we had the newly formed Edmonton Phoenix – the name tells you what it is, doesn't it, 'arising from the ashes', and all the swimmers came with me. We had no facilities for club nights but the Council immediately came to our aid. We became the rival swimming club in the same pool – Edmonton Swimming Pool. We won all sorts of events in the next season or two. They did me a favour really – after my twenty years of teaching swimming – it gave me a broader outlook."
