School captain Archie Patten raises $13,500 for swimming lessons, launches water safety campaign
11-year-old's platform of funding swimming lessons for every student wins support and funding
Eleven-year-old Archie Patten was elected school captain on a promise to remove cost as a barrier to swimming lessons after he learned nearly half of his peers could not meet national water safety benchmarks. Through a school Colour Run he raised $13,500, funding professional swimming instruction for every student at St Joseph's Primary School in Maclean into 2028, and has now challenged young leaders nationwide to spread the 'Ripple Effect' to their own communities.