On a recent morning in Wangara, Western Australia, six of our OCS and Midcity colleagues stepped into a bustling factory as volunteers for a morning.
Wheelchairs for Kids is a working space, not a showcase. Tools are laid out. Parts are stacked within reach. Volunteers work steadily, checking measurements, adjusting fittings, and moving on to the next step.
By the end of each day, around 30 all-terrain wheelchairs are built, checked and packed – each one accompanied by two blankets and two soft toys – before beginning a journey across the world to a child who would otherwise have little or no independent mobility.
After safety briefings and PPE, colleagues were trained on specific stages of the build process and joined other volunteers on the factory floor. They weren’t observing, they were doing – gathering components, checking measurements, assembling parts and working to the same standards as everyone else, contributing to the day’s production target.
Martina Windsor, QHSE Manager, was delighted to be one of the day’s volunteers.
“Volunteering at Wheelchair for Kids is so much more than just lending a hand: we all gained new skills, met amazing people, and it’s so rewarding knowing that by giving your time (or a contribution), you’re literally changing lives across the world. The impact is incredible – they’re not just wheelchairs, they’re doorways to education, play and independence.”
Over morning tea, Brother Olly Pickett (2025 Senior Australian of the Year) talked about the charity’s history and the difference it makes around the world. A short video followed (click here to watch), showing an inspirational nine-year-old boy named Chosen being fitted with his wheelchair – making it clear what all the careful measuring, assembling and checking is really for – the ability to move, to get to school, and to take part in everyday life.
Founded in Western Australia in 1996, Wheelchairs for Kids has now delivered more than 66,000 wheelchairs to children in over 80 countries, free of charge. Much of that work is carried out by volunteers, who return day after day because they believe access to mobility changes what a child can do and how their family can support them.
Christine Johnson, OCS Company Secretary, said the visit built naturally on the relationship formed last year, when the Perth branch donated 38 wheelchairs to the charity.
“Coming back this year to volunteer felt like a practical next step,” Christine said. “The work happening in Wangara has an impact well beyond Western Australia, connecting a local place with better outcomes for children and families around the world. Being invited to return reflects the strength of that ongoing connection.”
The partnership with Wheelchairs for Kids sits naturally alongside OCS’s mission of making people and places the best they can be. The wheelchairs built in Wangara are delivered to countries including Cambodia, Thailand and India — communities where OCS operates and supports local customers.
Soon, the wheelchairs built that day will leave Wangara, bound for children and families waiting around the world. What begins as careful work at a bench becomes part of someone’s daily life: a way to get to school, to move independently, to take part. From there, the story belongs to them.