Congratulations to our March winner for telling us about an experience that changed their life
1st Prize a GoPro+ LCD Action Camera. Well done Kristy Palmer, Occupational Therapist, Hall and Prior
In June last year I was fortunate enough to volunteer in Vanuatu with Joint Therapy Outreach, a not for profit Christian charity. I travelled, lived and volunteered with a group of Australian allied health professionals and students for 2 weeks.
Our group arrived only 3 months after devastating Cyclone Pam, one of the worst cyclones in Vanuatu’s history. The damage from the cyclone was still evident in many places we visited. It was an amazing experience to see the sense of community among the people we met – people who are very poor by world standards but didn’t hesitate to give their time and resources to help others and rebuild.
The aim of our group was to provide therapy, training and assistive equipment to local people with disabilities, including assembling wheelchairs which were donated through Wheelchairs for Kids in Perth. One day we worked in teams to build wheelchairs for 9 year old identical twin girls. These girls weren’t able to walk far, so it was a privilege to provide a wheelchair to increase their independence. When they were given their new wheels, it didn’t take long before they were racing each other down the road!
Although it was a short trip, the experiences I had in Vanuatu taught me a lot about what it means to be resilient, resourceful, and content with what you have. I really believe Vanuatu deserves its reputation as the ‘happiest place on earth.’
Kristy Palmer, Occupational Therapist at Hall and Prior