On November 18, some important and precious Christmas gifts sat on board a Royal Australian Air Force C-130J Hercules.

All the way from RAAF Base Richmond, in Sydney’s north-west, 48 children’s wheelchairs travelled to Clark Air Base in the Philippines, where RAAF and Philippines Air Force (PAF) personnel transported them to the Angeles City Returned Services League (RSL) sub-branch.

Wheelchairs for Kids Australia (WFK) was established in 1996 and has distributed more than 65,900 all-terrain and fully adjustable children’s wheelchairs to more than 80 countries for free. 

WFK and Angeles City RSL have been working together since 2014 to deliver and distribute wheelchairs across the Philippines.

Angeles City RSL President Gary Barnes said the initiative brought fulfilment and joy to sub-branch members and local families.

“We have assembled and gifted 768 chairs of all sorts to date. Recipients are identified at our medical missions, which we conduct in a wide range of barangays (villages within suburbs) on the first Saturday of eight months of the year,” Mr Barnes said.

“The significance of the RAAF’s support in transporting these wheelchairs to the Philippines cannot be understated.

“Without it, we would not be able to continue providing wheelchairs to children with disabilities, and still support the welfare of our members and, importantly, our veterans.” 

'The significance of the RAAF’s support in transporting these wheelchairs to the Philippines cannot be understated.'

The wheelchairs delivered on November 18 were the last of 95 donated to the Philippines via RAAF aircraft this year and contributed to a total of 255 transported by RAAF aircraft since October 2022. 

These donations are possible through opportunity cargo, where RAAF aircraft already travelling to a planned location are able to transport supplies at no extra cost.

While not always a guarantee, opportunity cargo has saved the Angeles City RSL more than $60,000 in commercial shipping costs as well as the time and resources required to fundraise such a large sum.

Officer In Charge of the RAAF component, Flight Lieutenant run Soorian, said the initiative allowed the ADF to be a part of something special that enabled children in the Philippines to have a better quality of life.

“This has been one of the highlights of my deployment. It was a significant logistical effort carried out by the RAAF and the PAF,” Flight Lieutenant Soorian said.

“The transport and storage of children’s wheelchairs were handled entirely by volunteers and members who stepped up of their own accord for the greater good. 

“Being part of this effort has given me a profound sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.”