Starlight spirits soar, shine and sparkle

Volume 48, No. 14, August 10, 2006
By FLTLT Peter Meehan

SPECIAL MOMENT: Ashley Dwyer, 7, gets her spirits lifted sitting in the PC-9 ejection seat with Roulette Seven, FLTLT Aaron Ferrari. Photo by SGT Dave Grant

THE spiritual home of the Air Force, RAAF Base Point Cook, hosted the Roulettes aerobatic display team last month to launch the new display season before a very special audience.

Fourteen Victorian children with serious illnesses from the Starlight Children’s Foundation got up close and personal with the Roulettes.

The children jumped for joy when invited to climb in, over and under the team’s PC-9 turbo-jet prop charges.

The children welded themselves into the hearts of the Roulettes with their overwhelming exuberance.

In return, the Roulettes fielded hundreds of questions and shared many stories about their flying experiences.

FLTLT Aaron Ferrari, Roulette Seven and commentator, got more than he bargained for when the children got the upper hand.

In one voice, they yelled, “Take our posters, stickers and caps and we’ll take yours.”

The Roulettes gladly took up the conditional arrangement. The Foundation’s purple and yellow logo now adorns the crew room at Central Fying School.

SQNLDR Steve Bekker, the newly-appointed Roulettes leader, and his fellow teamsters, said they felt privileged and deeply humbled to provide a “big day out”’ for children with serious illnesses.

“Children always prove to be a discerning and challenging audience,” SQNLDR Bekker said.

“The joy we saw in their faces gave us a great sense of a job well done. Our efforts pale into insignificance when viewed against the challenges that face the children; and the dedication and resolve of the Foundation’s staff and carers.
“We also hope today has provided some relief for the families who face the daily stress of their child’s illness.”

Starlight Children’s Foundation brightens the lives of seriously ill and hospitalised children by delivering programs that help restore fun, laughter and joy.

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