Billy(8) & Georgia Smith (9) swam 1 mile & 3 miles (5,000 metres actually!) on the last day of the crash course. Most 8 year old boys would have trouble walking a mile, let alone swimming a mile. What makes Billy remarkable is that Billy is autistic. Father, Adrian "Buzz" Smith, gave up work when Billy was first diagnosed as a toddler and spent months learning to understand his condition and his world. That included weekly trips to the under 5 class at Shirley Pool, where he would often be seen crawling around the pool side encouraging Bill and trying to maintain his focus.


The dedication has paid off and Billy achieving his mile award was a proud moment for his swimming teacher and dad. Well done Billy and well done Georgia - 200 lengths, wow!