MAKING A SPLASH!

These swimming heroes are keeping Aussies cool and safe - this summer 

- Katherine Chatfield, Maisy Rae

Starfish success

Alice Johnston started Starfish Nippers when she was 11 years old and still loves going today, aged 23. As well as being proud of the water safety skills she's learned, including CPR, she loves the social side of the program and the camaraderie it's created in her group.

"I have learned to be safe on the beach and help rescue people," Alice, who is profoundly deaf with an intellectual disability, tells Woman's Day. "The thing I like the most about it, though, is hanging out with my friends and swimming the waves. I've made so many new friends! We have so much fun catching up on the beach and learning new things together."

Starfish Nippers was co-founded by Anglesea Surf Club member Naomi Symington after she realised most Nippers programs weren't accessible to disabled children.

Naomi was a coach for the Special Olympics in 2011 and, at the time, asked one of the participants if she was going to join Nippers over the summer.

"She said it was too hard because of the access and the lack of modifications available," Naomi, 47, explains. "I decided to try and design a program that would be inclusive of children living with disability."

Naomi and her friend Janet Jones OAM, who has since passed away, created a program designed to cater for and include all children, regardless of their physical or intellectual abilities or sensory needs.

In 2011, Anglesea Surf Life Saving Club launched a pilot program with six participants, who each had a dedicated volunteer trainer to support the development of skills, ability and water safety. There are now more than 50 Starfish clubs around Australia, New Zealand and France.