Tracey Ayton, Co-founder and CEO of Little Heroes Swim Academy for able and disabled children, is a Water Warrior and Ambassador for the Australian Swim Schools Association‘s new water safety campaign SAFERWater Warriors, which is aimed at children under 5 years of age.

It is no secret that drowning is one of the leading causes of accidental death for Australian children. Statistics from Australia’s National Drowning Report by the Royal Life Saving Society of Australia shows that in 2017/2018 eighteen children under 5 years of age drowned. Drownings in swimming pools accounted for 67 per cent of these deaths.

Tracey is passionate about water safety and has just released a new book, Learn to Swim, which guides parents in teaching their baby or toddler the basics of swimming and water familiarisation in the lead up to, and in conjunction with, swimming lessons. Tracey’s swim school also runs special swim between the flags programs for disabled children on Bondi Beach – Bruce ‘Hoppo’ Watkins of Bondi Rescue fame is a great supporter of Tracey. She is also soon to open a swim centre dedicated specifically for students who have a disability.

The SAFERWater Warriors campaign involves five superheroes who all have powers that align with ASSA’s SAFERswimming Layers of Protection message; built on: Constant adult supervision, proper barriers (mainly being fences and gates), swimming and water safety skills, and emergency action planning. These personified superheroes are Yindy (Yindymarra), Skye, Force, Glide, and Dash respectively.

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