General News
16 April, 2026
Medical Wings program launched in Gilgandra
Medical Wings, a partnership between the Gilgandra community and Little Wings, launched its new monthly paediatric clinic in Gilgandra on Friday, April 10, 2026.
By Shane DeBritt and Lucie Wightman
To celebrate the new service, Gilgandra Shire Council hosted a morning tea at the GIL Library Hub. Along with council representatives, community members and local organisations welcomed Little Wings CEO Clare Pearson, nurse and clinic coordinator Nicki Callan, and Dr Ketaki Sharma, who will be running the clinic.
Based at the Gilgandra Local Aboriginal Medical Service (GLAMS), Medical Wings will provide much-needed specialist appointments for local children and families without the burden of long waiting periods and inconvenient travel.
Gilgandra now joins Warren, Nyngan, and Dubbo as all having local access through Medical Wings. The service costs $18,000 per year to run, with the community already funding the service until the end of 2026. Gilgandra and Tooraweenah Lions Club are handling the fundraising effort ongoing, with donors including the Gilgandra Country Women’s Association Evening Branch, Gilgandra Services Club, Lions, GLAMS, and councillor Brian Mockler.
Mayor Doug Batten welcomed the party from Little Wings to Gilgandra with an Acknowledgment of Country. He said that the launch of the Medical Wings program aligned with council’s long-term planning strategy ‘Towards 5000’.
“Access to specialist healthcare is something that regional and rural communities have long found difficult to secure, with families often facing lengthy waiting times and significant travel just to attend essential appointments,” said mayor Batten.
“A strategy under this health vision [part of Towards 5000] is to collaborate with private healthcare providers to expand service availability, and the council is very proud to have assisted to facilitate the introduction of Medical Wings into our community.
“Today [April 10], we are here to officially launch Medical Wings in Gilgandra and to recognise what this means for our children, our families, and the long-term health and wellbeing of our community. Medical Wings will help address these challenges by bringing specialist paediatric care directly into regional communities.
“These clinics are provided locally, free of charge, and in familiar and culturally safe environments, allowing children to receive timely specialist care closer to home. For families in Gilgandra, this means fewer long journeys, less time away from work and school, reduced stress and improved health outcomes for the children. Where further treatment is required, Medical Wings can provide clear referral pathways and support families to access the care they need through the hospital flights program.
“Medical Wings is about more than healthcare. It is about equity, accessibility, and ensuring that families feel supported and confident to live, work, and raise their children in our region.
“I sincerely thank GLAMS for providing a room to enable Medical Wings to operate locally, and in particular, CEO Phil Naden and staff member Buddy Knight for their support in getting this service off the ground.
Mayor Batten thanked the generous donors who have pledged their support. “Strong community partnerships are vital to the success of regional health services, and we truly value this collaboration. Every contribution, no matter the size, genuinely makes a difference,” he said.
Mayor Batten extended a warm welcome to the Medical Wings team, saying their commitment to improving access to specialist care for regional children is deeply valued.
“We are excited about what this collaboration will bring for our community now and into the future. Today is a clear example of what can be achieved through collaboration, compassion and genuine community spirit,” said mayor Batten.
Little Wings CEO, Clare Pearson explained that the organisation was established in 2012. “Essentially what we do every day is pick up seriously ill or injured children in regional NSW and fly them into major cities to access lifesaving medical treatment - completely free and unlimited.
“Part of the magic of what we do is we are a 90 per cent volunteer-led organisation, that includes 100 per cent of our commercial pilots and 100 per cent of our drivers, making sure that every mission is delivered with great care, great safety, and great compassion,” said Clare.
During COVID, the demand for Little Wings’ services increased and that led to the development of the Medical Wings program. Clare said that the NSW Regional Health Inquiry found that waiting times for paediatricians range from 18-months to six-years in some parts of the state.
“We wanted to make sure we work with community, with councils to address this. We can't wait anymore. Our kids need support. We want to make sure that every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential; that we change the way kids think about health literacy, that we change the way kids interact with the healthcare system and look after themselves and their families and, in turn, their communities.
“That's why this program, Medical Wings, is so important, where we bring out these incredible doctors, paediatricians, who give their time to come out and connect with community consistently, to support families and to make sure that communities have what they need to thrive and to stay vibrant, to stay healthy,” said Clare.
“So, we're so grateful to have Dr Ketaki here to be part of this community and to see this clinic rolled out. We're very grateful for all the partnerships, all the people that have donated and continue to support this program, and it's together that we'll make sure these things are sustainable. Together, we'll make sure that we have healthy communities, healthy kids, and that the community continues to thrive.
“Thank you for welcoming us, thank you for having us. We're deeply grateful, and we're so excited to see what this clinic looks like with time,” she concluded.
Dr Ketaki Sharma gave a short address, as the rest of her day would be spent seeing the first patients of Gilgandra’s Medical Wings clinic. “It's a real honour that you've all gone to this much trouble and that you've all come this morning. I'm so grateful for this opportunity.
“Thank you to the council and to medical services as well, and I really hope that this can be a long-standing relationship. I am really look forward to getting to know all of the colleagues here and especially the families that we are working with,” said Dr Ketaki.
A Gomeroi woman from Baradine, Medical Wings’ nurse and clinic coordinator Nicki Callan (nee Hitchen) said she had a special connection to Gilgandra having been born in Gulargambone.
She said the service was proud that Medical Wings was now successful running in four communities – Warren, Nyngan, Dubbo and Gilgandra. She said the process was very simple for families with referrals from local doctors to GLAMS, who would handle the clinic administration. She said the clinic would work with health organisations and families to ensure that paperwork didn’t get in the way of a child being seen by Dr Ketaki.
“We are working together with the community, not against the community. We are for the kids, to ensure that our children matter and that the children of the west, see the access that they have the right to and that they deserve to have for their future health and wellbeing.
“We have proven that through this clinic, children are seen. In fact, in one of the clinics 75 per cent of the attendees were Aboriginal babies. One clinic was 100 per cent Aboriginal kids. We are finding children who have never seen paediatricians before. Today is an amazing day for the children and the families of Gilgandra, and I'm so honoured to stand here,” she said.
Attendees then gathered to chat, welcome the Medical Wings team, and sample the morning tea on offer.
