Wheelchairs for Kids co-founder has helped more than 60,000 children
![Brother Thomas Oliver Pickett, pictured with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, won the 2025 Senior Australian of the Year award. [NADC/Salty Dingo; supplied]](https://agedcareguide-assets.imgix.net/news/articles/wp/senioraus2801.jpg?fm=pjpg)
A volunteer from Western Australia has helped change the lives of thousands of children with physical disability
Key points:
- Brother Thomas Oliver Pickett was awarded the 2025 Senior Australian of the Year for his efforts to improve the lives of children in developing countries
- Since 1996, Mr Pickett’s not-for-profit organisation, Wheelchairs for Kids, has provided more than 60,000 custom-built wheelchairs to children in developing countries
- If you know an Australian you’d like to nominate for the 2026 Australian of the Year, visit the Australian of the Year website
The Senior Australian of the Year award was recently presented to Brother Thomas Oliver Pickett, who has helped thousands of children with physical disability.
On January 25, 2025, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese presented 84-year-old Mr Pickett with the Senior Australian of the Year award at the National Arboretum in Canberra.
In 1996, Mr Picket co-founded Wheelchairs for Kids, a not-for-profit organisation in Western Australia dedicated to providing adjustable wheelchairs and occupational therapy for children in need.
Approximately 250 volunteers have helped to build and donate more than 60,000 custom wheelchairs to children in developing countries. The wheelchairs have been sent to countries such as Afghanistan, Tanzania, Syria and Malawi.
According to the Australian of the Year website, Mr Pickett ‘spearheaded the development of an innovative, low-cost wheelchair design to World Health Organization standards that grows as the children do — a world first.’
The manufacturing process in specific workshops consists of building the upper frame, using a milling machine to create the wheelchair components, testing it against World Health Organization standards and then packing the wheelchair parts to be sent overseas.
The wheelchairs, which can be modified as the child grows, are made to suit all types of terrain, including hills and desert areas.
In addition to the charity’s 250 volunteers who help to build the wheelchairs, a further 550 people are involved in making soft toys, crocheted rugs and sewing soft covers for the wheelchairs. A soft toy, rug and soft cover are included with each wheelchair.
2025 WA Senior Australian of the Year Brother Thomas Oliver Pickett AM
In Prime Minister Albanese’s speech on January 25, 2025, he praised the efforts of all Australians who strive to make their communities better, including the award winners and nominees.
“[…] Australians have always found ways to do things better — to make our country better. It is that spirit that drives us as we look ahead and set about building the future,” he said.
“For what burns in our hearts as brightly as our compassion, fairness and generosity is our ambition, our curiosity and our courage. That’s the spirit we see embodied by every Australian of the Year and by every Australian who has ever been nominated.”
In November 2024, Mr Pickett was announced as the Western Australia winner of the 2025 Senior Australian of the Year. Mr Pickett was born in 1941 in Melbourne and currently lives in Perth.
Although the 2025 Australian of the Year awards were presented earlier this week, the program is still available to watch on ABC iView. If you know an Australian you’d like to nominate for the 2026 Australian of the Year, visit the Australian of the Year website.
Chair of the National Australia Day Council John Foreman congratulated the award winners and expressed gratitude for their efforts in helping others.
“The 2025 Australians of the Year are amazing Australians doing extraordinary things,” he said.
“Brother Olly’s compassion and energy are the driving forces which have [sic] brought mobility and freedom to countless children around the globe. He reminds us that, through volunteerism, you can truly impact the lives of others.”
Volunteering can help you feel a greater sense of belonging, provide you with purpose, help you connect with others and improve your social networks. It can be a great way to meet new people, learn new skills and become involved with your community in a fun and supportive way.
Volunteering is freely giving your time to help another person, organisation, group or cause and can also help build your confidence before transitioning into employment.
Volunteering has been linked to increased health and well-being and improved self-esteem, while also reducing stress, loneliness and depression.
There are many places you could volunteer, including:
- animal welfare organisations like the RSPCA;
- local thrift shops;
- environmental conservation organisations;
- Meals on Wheels; and
- Australian Red Cross.
To find volunteering opportunities in your community, head to the Volunteering Australia website.
Do you enjoy volunteering as a person with disability?
Let the team at Disability Support Guide know on social media.
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