Flying sick children from remote areas for treatment in major centres for charity

THROUGHOUT his aviation career, Adam Holt has carried just about everyone and everything to just about every corner of Australia

Pilot Adam Holt transports sick kids like Jaidal Saville and their families from rural NSW to hospitals in Sydney and Newcastle.

THROUGHOUT his aviation career, Adam Holt has carried just about everyone and everything to just about every corner of Australia; business travellers, tourists, joy-riders, freight and cargo. “Even people who just want to jump out of the plane — the skydivers,” the Sydney-based pilot says.

But Adam says the most rewarding work of all is his volunteer role flying sick children and their families from rural and remote areas of NSW for treatment in major centres as part of the charity Little Wings.

“I heard about it through a friend who was volunteering as a pilot for Little Wings and I had seen their plane on the tarmac from time to time and thought I’d better get involved,” says Adam, who inherited his love of flying from his airline pilot father.

Today the 36-year-old not only flies children and their families to hospitals, he manages the maintenance on the plane, organises the crewing and runs the training regime — as a volunteer.

“I’m lucky that I get to do what I love for a job and it only took one or two flights for Little Wings to see how much effect it really does have on the families,” says Adam. “You’re saving a day or two of travel of them at a time they really, really need all the help they can get.”

Often the children are battling very serious diseases including cancer. “There are multiple occasions where the child is meant to come back out of hospital after treatment and something happens and they can’t travel,” says CommBank’s Australian of the Day. “So instead we end up going out and picking up their family and bringing their family to them.

“We get to know the families quite well and it can be confronting as you see a child get sicker and sicker which does occasionally happen. We’re there for the ups and downs and you do ride that with the families as well.”

Fortunately, there are good outcomes as well. “We’ve got a couple of families who are in complete remission,” say Adams. “It may be you’ve been flying them once a week for six months and then all of a sudden you haven’t seen them for six months. Then they come in for just a regular check-up and it’s great to see them happy and positive and everyone looking really well.”

Adam insists he’s just a small part of a wider operation that involves road transport teams as well as pilots. “I can’t see myself ever stopping volunteering with Little Wings,” he says. “Even if I couldn’t fly anymore I’d still be involved driving the families from the airport to wherever they need to go.”

CommBank has partnered with News Corp Australia to champion the Australian of the Day initiative which celebrates people in our neighbourhoods and communities who really make a difference to how we live and who we are. You can read all their stories at australianoftheday.com.au, where you can also nominate someone you know.