Flynn Laker is a man about town, strutting the streets of Arrowtown.
It’s been his home since Christmas, and he loves it.
“I like how nice the people are, and I like the surroundings.”
Flynn has Down Syndrome, and when you’re around him, it’s never a dull moment.
He loves popping to the shops and getting ice cream.
And when he’s done, he hangs out and learns with friends at Living Options, a place for other young people with disabilities to hang out.
“He's part of our family,” said his mate John.
On Fridays, Flynn heads out to bag lollies and fill cups at the Remarkables Sweet Shop Factory.
“We love having Flynn here; he lights up our day,” one of his colleagues said.
At only 19, one might be thinking he’s got enough on his plate, but his busy schedule is just the beginning.
Flynn’s also a businessman, running a company called Flynn’s Sox.
Every pair of socks he sells is sourced online by him; he always wears shorts so he can show them off.
He sends them out to customers with handwritten notes.
The sock startup was born five years ago when the Lakers lived in Invercargill.
His sister, Meg, and cousins came up with the idea.
Meg says it’s about preparing her brother for life in the workforce.
“We recognised the challenges people with disabilities can have going into the workforce, and we wanted Flynn to have the knowledge of how to cope with people and money and just business in general,” she said.
“And Flynn has always wanted to be his own boss; he's such a character.
“He calls us his minions.”
When it started, Flynn’s Sox was in full swing, with a portion of every purchase going to charity.
However, that all came to a stop last year when Flynn’s dad Tony lost his battle with cancer; his heartbroken family had to put a pause on business… until now.
The family moved to Arrowtown, a place the Laker’s had long holidayed, fulfilling Tony’s final wish.
“It's wonderful; you feel like it's safe,” Flynn’s mum Tracey said.
“There's not many places you'd allow your young person with Down Syndrome to walk alone down the main street without anybody there.
“It's a pretty awesome thing he's got going.
“As soon as an order comes through, he jumps on it with great excitement."
To say team Laker 2.0 is proud of the man Flynn’s becoming is an understatement.
“Flynn's incredible, and certainly nothing stands in his way of achieving whatever he wants to achieve,” Tracey said.
“I wouldn't say Down Syndrome has ever been a challenge in Flynn's eyes... he's taken that in his,” said Meg.
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