Colourful martial art aids charity

A shaven-headed Squadron Leader Garry McKee has his head coloured by children involved in his martial arts club at RAF Wyton. Photo by CPL Corrine Buxton RAF

ALTHOUGH Squadron Leader Garry McKee is working on the other side of the world he still finds time to support a charity close to his heart – the Australian Leukaemia Foundation.

SQNLDR McKee, an electronics engineer with the Defence Logistics Organisation at RAF Wyton in England, lost his 9-year-old son, Paul, to cancer several years ago.

In support of other children battling leukaemia, he enlisted the help of the youngsters of the RAF Wyton martial arts club that he started after he arrived at the base in Cambridgeshire.

The club’s junior members took part in the World’s Greatest Shave for a Cure, an initiative of the Australian Leukaemia Foundation, on March 12. They coloured their hair and shaved off SQNLDR McKee’s locks in aid of the Foundation.

“The club’s juniors have put in a lot of effort to support the kids in Australia and raised over 1200 Australian dollars. There have been many examples of what is wrong with the youth of today, but the kids at Wyton are a great example of what is right - kids helping kids. I’m very proud of them and shall miss them when I return home.”

He is due to return home in December after three years as an exchange officer with UK’s Ministry of Defence.
SQNLDR McKee, a Black Belt 2nd Dan, took up the discipline of Tae-Kwon-Do 27 years ago. However, when his son, then aged 7, was diagnosed with cancer, he quit the sport to spend more quality time with him.

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