Walking the talk: Regional boy’s $1 million challenge to Albanese
Bush kids are waiting up to six years to see a pediatrician – now one 12-year-old is walking from regional Australia to Canberra to ask the Prime Minister to support this vital charity’s work
READING LEVEL: GREEN
Twelve-year-old Dusty Langby’s fundraising walk from Warren in Central West NSW to Canberra is officially underway.
When Dusty meets Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the nation’s capital after finishing his two-week walk from Warren, he will ask the PM to match every dollar he’s raised to ensure he and other kids in the bush have access to specialist healthcare for kids.
With a bit of luck, Dusty’s hoping to raise $1 million for Little Wings, a charity that provides free transport for seriously ill children across NSW, ACT and Queensland.
Bush kids currently face pediatrician* waiting lists of two to six years, said Little Wings chief executive Clare Pearson.
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph at the Bush Summit in Dubbo last Thursday before his epic walk began Dusty said: “I would like Albo to match every dollar I raise”.
His family had personally used the Little Wings service to attend specialist appointments at Royal Far West at Sydney’s Manly Beach, replacing a 6.5 hour drive with a short flight.
Little Wings helps 5000 children annually, operating with 90 per cent volunteer staff.
“I thought Little Wings were really good. It saved us driving 1200 kilometres to Sydney and back,” Dusty said.
Together with his mum, Dusty is now covering up to 52km each day before they arrive in Canberra and meet Mr Albanese and Health Minister Mark Butler, with Dusty sharing gruelling* details behind his training schedule.
His mum said it was critical that kids in the bush don’t miss out on healthcare.
“It’s a fantastic service. It’s 90 per cent volunteer-led and it’s really nice to see so many passionate people that want to help,” she said.
Ms Pearson acknowledged the Little Wings service wasn’t the full solution but was “an important part of the puzzle” with so many children facing years long waitlists.
“These are not numbers that are acceptable … and we need a seat at the table if we’re going to really make a difference to country communities,” she said.
Mr Albanese applauded Dusty as “an inspiring young Australian doing something remarkable for families living in the bush”.
“Every child deserves access to quality health care, no matter where they live,” Mr Albanese said.
“Little Wings does fantastic work and my government is proud to have been backing them since 2022 with our $4.3 million investment to help more regional families get the care they need.
“I’m really looking forward to meeting Dusty when he makes it to Canberra and wish him a safe journey.”
This article is part of the Bush Summit series supported by Hancock Prospecting, Woolworths, Ampol, AAMI, Toyota, Powerhouse Museum, Clubs NSW, Qantas, The South Australian Government, Northern Territory Government, Invasive Species Council, Cruise Lines International Association, Greyhounds NSW, Charles Sturt University and Dubbo Regional Council.
POLL
GLOSSARY
- pediatrician: a doctor who has special training in medical care for children
- gruelling: extremely tiring and difficult, and demanding great effort and determination
EXTRA READING
Regional teens going the distance
Aussie teen’s historic solo flight
Loving tribute to sporty little Levi
QUICK QUIZ
- Where is Dusty walking from and to and why?
- What service does charity Little Wings provide?
- What is the waitlist time for country kids to get a pediatrician appointment, according to Little Wings CEO Clare Pearson?
- How much money did the Albanese Government commit to Little Wings in 2022?
- How many kilometres is Dusty currently walking per day to reach Canberra?
LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. City vs. Regional
How does life differ for children living in regional or remote areas of Australia compared to those living in larger cities?
Look at the following areas of life and record the differences.
Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking
2. Extension
If you were given $5 million to improve specialist healthcare access for children in regional Australia, how would you spend it?
What services, resources and equipment would best help these children?
Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking
VCOP ACTIVITY
Exercise the body and the mind
Exercise is not only important for the body, but it’s a lot of fun as well. Let’s bring more exercise into classroom learning by creating a VCOP PE game.
You can add a VCOP challenge to pretty much any game, and it’s a great way to encourage the teacher to let the class play more games.
Here is an example to get you started, then you create one of your own.
VCOP dodgeball
The normal rules of dodgeball apply. Two teams throw soft balls at each other and if you get hit, you have to sit out. The team who knocks out all the players on the other team, wins.
VCOP challenge: when you get eliminated, collect a mini-whiteboard and a basic clause from the sidelines. Up-level the sentence (make it better) by adding VCOP. When you show the teacher your completed sentence, you can return to the game.
Play for a set amount of time and the team with the most players left on the court wins.
Support: use the “Up-Level It” card set – players have to complete one card from the set instead of completing all VCOP challenges.
What can you come up with?