US mum gets help from North Sydney police to grant autistic son his wish
WHEN Caleb M Neely from Missouri asked his mum if he could visit police stations all over the world for his birthday, she came up with a creative solution which saw him “visit” Sydney.
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THIS little boy is travelling the world: by post.
Caleb M Neely, a 10-year-old with autism, told his mum he wanted to go to police stations all over the globe for his birthday in July.
Facing a dilemma, Amy Neely got creative.
She made a miniature paper version of her son called Flat Caleb and started asking police stations if they would help.
“I tried to figure out a way to help him do that when I thought that if the officers took pictures of themselves and their stations he could see them,” she said from her home in Missouri.
“Then I decided to send a picture of him to make it look like he was there.”
After traversing the US and visiting a military base in Afghanistan, Caleb has made his way to Australia and into the kind hands of the Harbourside LAC team.
He was sworn into the NSW Police and tasked on duties at Taronga Zoo and McMahons Point, where he posed with the Harbour Bridge and Opera House.
The team at Harbourside LAC were delighted to help Caleb realise his dreams.
“Mum, thinking outside the box came up with the idea of Flat Caleb who was sent to us in the mail with a request to send him out with local police on a police adventure. How could you resist that?,” said a North Sydney police spokesman.
“So Flat Caleb was sworn into the NSW Police and let loose on the Harbourside Local Area Command.”
Caleb served with distinction in the field and was successful in his transfer application to the Griffith LAC in central NSW.
Caleb was extremely excited when he saw the pictures of himself in Sydney.
“We showed him on the map where he was and he said ‘Wow, I travelled over an ocean’,” Ms Neely said.
“He loved the pictures of the zoo and the bridge. He thought it was neat that there are animals in Sydney that we also have here in the zoo.”
Caleb was diagnosed with autism when he was five years old. He was born five weeks early and spent time in intensive care after birth.
His mum thanked the police officers for giving Flat Caleb a great tour of the lower north shore.
“To the Harbourside LAC police officers, thank you for all you did for my son,” she said.
“To you it may be just some photos but to Caleb it is a smile. You have no idea how much this means to him and to his dad and myself.
“Please know that we support you all and that to my son you are all heroes.”
Caleb is the youngest of Amy and Brian Neely’s four children. His siblings are Brandon, 15, Madison, 13 and Luke, 10.
Follow Caleb at the Adventures of Flat Caleb Facebook page.
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