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Last week, Des La Rance welcomed a couple of visitors coming up all the way from Wollongong, south of Sydney, to the Project Shed. Jordy Chilby selected the theme of 'wheelchairs for developing country regions' for her major design project in her Design & Technology course, part of her final year for the NSW Higher School Certificate. No better way than to just repeat what she wrote:"I discovered that one of my teachers sponsors a four year old Tanzanian boy who has Cerebral Palsy. Once seeing a photo of the boy seated on a foam block, I immediately felt moved and inspired to help make his life a little easier. I knew this would be the perfect opportunity to utilise the time and equipment from my school to build him a more comfortable seat. With the help of the charity organisation, Forever Projects, I have the possibility of transporting it to his family. As I searched and gathered information, I was interested in the idea of using recycled materials to keep the project affordable whilst also being environmentally friendly.
I then came across the Surfers Sunrise Rotary - Wheelchair Project website and was moved and inspired by the idea of recycling bicycles to make wheelchairs for third world countries. I then got in contact with the President of the Club, Jo Winwood, to seek permission to utilise some of the design aspects for my major work. She was very helpful and friendly and put me in contact with Des. Jo also helped organise the opportunity for my visit to the Project Shed. I was fortunate enough to visit the workshop and experience first hand the amazing work the volunteers are doing for disabled people in a number of developing countries around the world. The guys there were very kindhearted and full of jokes and laughter which made my experience
really fun and enjoyable. They all made me feel very welcome and genuinely loved what they’re doing. Their enthusiasm and dedication to such a worthy cause is truly inspirational and a great encouragement for my project. 
Des’ passion and commitment to this project has really touched my heart. I was truly honoured to meet such a dedicated and caring man and will always treasure this experience. I will keep you updated on how my major work progresses and have attached an image below of Raphael whom the chair is for." (see picture right).
What more can I add? Well, perhaps to say that Jordy's statement of "I immediately felt moved and inspired to help make his life a little easier" is eerily reminiscent to what Des La Rance stated in about 1996, upon his return from a holiday in Fiji where he saw crippled children being stranded on a piece of cloth in the dust. Secondly, if you ever hear somebody whinging that "today's youth just doesn't care, etc etc...", simply show them this article. To quote C.J. Dennis: 'I dips me lid', Jordy. Ed.