12-year-old Australian boy to walk 540km to raise $1 million for rural healthcare

Photo:
Jessica
H omas/AAP
PHOTOS

At
just
th ee
yea s
old,
Dusty
La gby
was
al eady
lea i g
what
it
mea t
to
be
a
ca egive .
Afte
a
t agic
accide t
left
his
fathe
with
lifelo g
i ju ies,
you g
Dusty
stepped
up
to
help
a ou d
the
family
fa m
i
Wa e ,
a
small
tow
i
ce t al
weste
New
South
Wales.Now
12,
Dusty
is
p epa i g
fo
his
biggest
challe ge
yet.
This
mo th,
he
will
begi
a
540-kilomet e
walk
f om
his
emote
hometow
to
Pa liame t
House
i
Ca be a.
His
goal
is
simple
but
ambitious:
aise
$1
millio
fo
Little
Wi gs,
the
child e ’s
cha ity
that
helped
his
you ge
b othe
access
vital
medical
ca e,
a d
use
the
fu ds
to
suppo t
othe
sick
child e
i
u al
Aust alia,
as
epo ted
by
CityNews.com.au.A
family
shaped
by
esilie ceDusty’s
jou ey
bega
lo g
befo e
he
pla ed
his
fi st
step
towa d
the
atio ’s
capital.
I
2017,
his
fathe ,
A d ew
La gby,
was
d ivi g
home
f om
a
ove ight
shift
as
a
fa mha d
whe
he
hit
a
pig
o
a
da k
cou t y
oad.
The
ca
olled,
f actu i g
A d ew’s
pelvis
a d
spi e.
The
i ju ies
left
him
with
pe ma e t
mobility
challe ges
a d
a
lo g
oad
of
ecove y.With
his
mothe ,
Sa ah,
wo ki g
as
a
u se,
Dusty
took
o
espo sibilities
fa
beyo d
his
yea s.
He
helped
p epa e
meals
fo
his
fathe
a d
you ge
b othe ,
A gus,
lea i g
to
cook
fish
fi ge s
a d
steam
vegetables
i
the
family’s
ai
f ye .

To
this
day,
the
La gbys
do ’t
eat
much
mashed
potato;
little
Dusty
could ’t
ma age
the
mashi g,
a d
the
habit
stuck,
as
pe
the
epo t.“I
we t
back
to
wo k
a d
Dusty
stayed
he e,
he
would
cook
dad
tea
because
he
could ’t
walk
fo
mo ths,”
Sa ah
told
AAP.
“He’s
ve y
i depe de t.
He’s
got
g eat
i itiative,
he’s
got
g eat
i sight.”Little
Wi gs
cha ges
the
game
fo
u al
familiesThe
La gby
family
fi st
came
i to
co tact
with
Little
Wi gs
whe
A gus
bega
st uggli g
with
his
health.
The
you g
boy
suffe ed
full-body
tics
a d
fou d
it
difficult
to
atte d
school.
Specialists
i
Syd ey
could
help,
but
getti g
the e
f om
Wa e
was
a
majo
challe ge.Little
Wi gs
stepped
i .
The
cha ity
p ovides
f ee
flight
a d
g ou d
t a spo t
fo
se iously
ill
child e
a d
thei
families
livi g
i
egio al,
u al
a d
emote
a eas
of
NSW,
Quee sla d
a d
the
ACT.
Volu tee
pilots
fly
child e
to
cities
fo
t eatme t,
while
volu tee
docto s
t avel
the
othe
way,
b i gi g
paediat ic
ca e
to
egio al
tow s
th ough
day
cli ics.Fo
the
La gbys,
the
suppo t
was
life-cha gi g.
A gus
was
flow
to
Syd ey
to
see
specialists,
a d
the
i te ve tio
helped
him
imp ove
d amatically.
But
the
impact
we t
beyo d
o e
family.Fo
mo e
tha
a
yea ,
a
paediat icia
has
bee
flyi g
to
Wa e
o ce
a
mo th
to
u
a
cli ic,
offe i g
multiple
appoi tme ts
i
a
si gle
day.
Simila
mo thly
cli ics
have
bee
set
up
i
ea by
Ny ga
a d
Gilga d a,
b i gi g
specialist
ca e
to
commu ities
that
would
othe wise
st uggle
to
access
it.Seei g
the
eed
up
closeAs
a
Yea
6
stude t
at
Wa e
Ce t al
School,
Dusty
has
watched
the
diffe e ce
these
cli ics
make.
He
sees
classmates
st uggli g
to
stay
focused
a d
e gaged,
but
otices
that
you ge
child e
who
have
bee
seei g
the
paediat icia
a e
th ivi g.He
has
also
see
how
tough
it
is
to
get
health
suppo t
i
the
bush.
Lo g
dista ces,
limited
local
se vices
a d
the
high
cost
of
t avel
ca
make
a
huge
diffe e ce
i
whethe
a
child
eceives
timely
ca e.That’s
whe
the
idea
fo
“Dolla
fo
Dusty”
was
bo .The
540km
walk
fo
u al
kidsO
August
30,
Dusty
will
set
off
f om
Wa e ,
pla i g
to
cove
about
40
kilomet es
each
day.
Sixtee
days
late ,
o
Septembe
14,
he
hopes
to
a ive
at
Pa liame t
House
i
Ca be a.The
oute
has
bee
methodically
pla ed,
with
suppo t
f om
family,
f ie ds
a d
the
Little
Wi gs
team.
His
mothe
will
be
with
him
eve y
step
of
the
way,
as
will
Little
Wi gs
chief
executive
Cla e
Pea so .“I’m
hopi g
it’s
mi d
ove
matte ,
a d
the
body
just
follows,
but
I
thi k
it’s
just
somethi g
to
eally
champio
a d
walk
with
Dusty
du i g
this
jou ey,”
Pea so
said,as
pe
the
epo t.Dusty
has
two
big
goals
with
the
campaig :
aise
$1
millio
to
fu d
ew
paediat ic
cli ics
a d
suppo t
fo
you g
kids
i
the
bush,
a d
walk
st aight
i to
the
p ime
mi iste ’s
office
to
sha e
the
cause.
While
the
Little
Wi gs
team
is
still
wo ki g
to
secu e
that
meeti g
a d
lock
i
the
pe fect
fi ish
li e,
Dusty
is
usi g
the
two-week
jou ey
to
pla
what
he
will
say.A
futu e
i
the
skiesDu i g
his
t ek,
Dusty
will
likely
eflect
o
his
family’s
medical
st uggles
a d
the
suppo t
that
helped
them
th ough.
He
will
also
have
time
to
thi k
about
his
ow
d eams.Afte
ece tly
t avelli g
ove seas
fo
the
fi st
time
o
a
t ip
to
Japa
with
his
mum
a d
b othe ,
Dusty
ow
d eams
of
becomi g
a
pilot.“I
wa t
to
fly
fo
Qa tas
a d
do
ove seas
o es,
so
I’ll
get
to
see
the
wo ld,
a d
the
whe
I’m
olde ,
I
wa t
to
fly
fo
Little
Wi gs,”
he
said.Fo
ow,
his
focus
is
o
the
oad
ahead:
540
kilomet es
of
walki g,
o e
step
at
a
time,
fo
kids
who
eed
help
getti g
to
the
docto .Why
this
walk
matte sLittle
Wi gs
elies
o
do atio s
a d
volu tee
suppo t
to
keep
its
pla es
i
the
ai
a d
its
cli ics
u i g.
The
cha ity
completed
mo e
tha
2,000
missio s
a d
suppo ted
4,500
families
i
2023
alo e,
with
volu tee
pilots
a d
d ive s
helpi g
child e
each
specialist
t eatme t
i
majo
cities.But
dema d
is
g owi g,
a d
fuel
costs
a e
isi g.
I
some
egio s,
flights
have
had
to
be
atio ed
as
the
se vice
faces
fi a cial
p essu e.Dusty’s
walk
is
mo e
tha
a
fu d aise .
It
is
a
stateme t
that
u al
child e
dese ve
the
same
access
to
healthca e
as
those
i
the
cities.
It
is
a
emi de
that
sometimes,
the
biggest
voices
come
f om
the
smallest
walke s.As
Dusty
puts
o e
foot
i
f o t
of
the
othe ,
he
is
ca yi g
mo e
tha
a
backpack.
He
is
ca yi g
hope
fo
families
i
the
bush,
a
visio
fo
bette
healthca e
access
a d
a
belief
that
eve
a
12-yea -old
ca
make
a
diffe e ce.

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