05/02/2026
Austin Appelbee is 13 years old.
He recently failed his swimming assessment because he couldn't swim 350 metres continuously.
Last week, he swam about 4 kilometres through choppy ocean waters - where sharks are known to frequent - to save his family's life.
When their inflatable paddleboards drifted out to sea off the WA coast, Austin's mum - with her heart in her mouth and as a last-hope desperate prayer - sent him back in a leaking kayak to get help. When that failed, he ditched the kayak and then the life jacket (it was slowing him down) and swam.
For four hours. Through waves and wind. Who knows what was in the water. In open ocean.
He told himself, "Not today. I have to keep going."
When his legs buckled on the sand, he ran another 2km to call emergency services. His family was rescued just as darkness fell.
Police called his efforts "superhuman." (His swimming instructor probably wishes they'd seen this side of him.)
This is a heroic story. I love it. But I'm sharing this because:
Austin didn't become a different kid in that moment. The same determination, grit, and love that got him through those waters was already there. The crisis just revealed it.
I'm constantly reminding parents - you don't know you're resilient until you have to be resilient. And being resilient doesn't usually feel resilient. It feels like "I can't" far more than it feels like "look at me being awesomely resilient".
We spend so much time worrying about whether our kids are ready for life's challenges. Whether they're tough enough. Capable enough. Whether we've done enough.
Austin's story reminds me that kids have reserves we can't always see in the everyday moments. And that's when it really matters, they'll find what they need.
What an incredible young man.
