Hear from Brother Olly about his charity providing wheelchairs to kids in need.
The smiles on the faces of those kids when they receive a life-changing wheelchair are amazing to see and warm your heart.
— Brother OllyMeet Brother Olly Pickett. He's the 2025 WA Senior Australian of the Year. He's also co-founder and volunteer factory manager at Wheelchairs for Kids, one of the biggest volunteer groups in Western Australia.
In 2025, LiveUp visited Brother Olly and his team at their workshop to hear their stories.
Watch the interview
Watch the video to learn about how these volunteers support each other as they make wheelchairs for children around the world.
About Brother Olly
Brother Olly has shown a lifelong dedication to helping children. He’s a retired Catholic school teacher and metalworker who worked in both schools and missionary roles. In Karratha, he helped set up St Luke’s College, where he served as a priest, as well as St Paul’s Primary School.
Today, he’s making a difference to the lives of kids in many different countries.
About Wheelchairs for Kids
The idea started in 1996. Brother Olly's friend named Des La Rance saw children in Fiji who had to crawl to school because they didn’t have wheelchairs – and decided to do something to about it.
Wanting to help, Brother Olly invited a group of teenagers who had lost interest in school to his metalwork shop. Together, they started building wheelchairs. What began as a small act of kindness soon became a worldwide mission.
Now, about 800 volunteers support the charity, ranging in age from 55 to 90. Volunteers come from many different backgrounds, and many are retired. Some help build the wheelchairs. Others sew cushions, blankets, and toys to go with each chair.
Every wheelchair is built to meet World Health Organization standards, so they are:
- Safe
- Comfortable
- Strong enough for rough roads
Since 1996, the team has made more than 64,000 wheelchairs and sent them to children in over 80 countries – all free of charge.
Making a difference
The charity’s mission is simple: to give every child the chance to move freely, go to school, and take part in daily life.
If you’d like to learn more or support their work, you can visit the Wheelchairs for Kids website at https://wheelchairsforkids.org.
References
LiveUp. (2025). Interview with Brother Olly. https://www.liveup.org.au/articles/brother-olly-wa-senior-of-the-year-2025
Australian Department of Health and Aged Care. (2025, January). The 2025 Senior Australian of the Year is... | Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
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