Charity Little Wings connects children with lifesaving healthcare services.
Story + Photos Kate Newsome
When Dr Mary Iskander disembarks Little Wings’ Piper Navajo, she gets a rockstar reception. At Warren Airport, in NSW’s Central West, children and community members wave a welcome sign, handpainted at the local family day care. “I cried again today. She could fly in every day and I’d probably cry every day,” says Nichole ‘Nicki’ Callan, a local Nurses and Midwives’ Association member.
Mary is a paediatrician who answered the call: volunteering for monthly ‘pop-up’ clinics. This morning, she was driven from home to Bankstown Airport and flown 410km west by Little Wings, a charity that conducts up to 70 missions each week. These assignments fall under Medical Wings (where specialist healthcare providers travel to 75 regions across NSW, Qld and the ACT), or the namesake Little Wings missions (where children living with illness, and their families, are provided with free and ongoing flight and ground support to access medical treatment).
While Mary is whisked away for today’s appointments, a team from Little Wings is busy filming testimonial videos around town. As a not-for-profit, it’s a constant effort to raise awareness and funds to stay aloft.
This story excerpt is from issue #162
Outback Magazine: Aug/Sep 2025
