Kings Langley lifesavers meet Bondi Rescue star

Fresh from winning Pride of Australia medals for their heroic rescue of a drowning child, four boys have been described as an example to follow this summer by one of Australia’s most famous lifesavers.

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Four boys from Kings Langley have been labelled “amazing” by one of the country’s most famous lifesavers, who says they are an example to follow this summer.

Fresh from receiving Pride of Australia medals for the heroic rescue of a drowning child in October, Zac Brown, 13, Jaime Privett, 13, and brothers Ben and Patrick Whitehouse, aged 14 and 11, swapped tales with a man who helped inspire their bravery, Trent ‘Maxi’ Maxwell from TV show Bondi Rescue.

Jaime Privett, 13, Zac Brown, 13, Ben Whitehouse, 14, and Pat Whitehouse, 11, with Tent ‘Maxi’ Maxwell at Bondi Beach. Picture: AAP Image/Adam Yip

Zac said it was the lessons learned from watching hours of the program that prepared he and his mates to pull the unconscious four-year-old Adam Al Kayal, 4, from a pool in Umina, starting CPR and placing him in the recovery position.

Mr Maxwell was humbled by the boy’s life-saving act and was “proud” to be seen as a role model for water safety — he also is Zac’s favourite lifeguard on the show.

‘Maxi’ gave the boys a copy of his new book before it hit the shelves. Picture: AAP Image/Adam Yip

“It’s pretty powerful,” he said. “That’s why we do the job, to be able to pass that on. What they did was amazing and if they come across another situation like this in the future, they know what to do.”

Mr Maxwell said it was critical young people knew water safety skills, and runs workshops across Australia to pass on his knowledge and experience.

There have been 11 coastal drownings in the Sydney region since September, while a man also drowned in the Colo River.

The boys with Adam Al Kayal, 4, who they saved in October 2018. Picture: AAP Image/Angelo Velardo

Promoting water safety and swimming skills is particularly important in western Sydney, an area with a higher migrant population and low income households compared to the city’s east.

A report from Royal Life Saving Australia showed people born overseas made up 27 per cent of all drownings in Australia between 2004 and 2015.

While another report highlighted that children from a higher socio-economic status were more likely to attend swimming lessons than those from lower income families.