Australian Lions Children's Mobility Foundation

The Lions Club of Richmond, based in District 201 N5 started the ball rolling by sponsoring one child in a group of five Australian families who went to England to be fitted with a Walker by its inventor David Hart. While the families were in England, they also organised for the local Keighley Lions Club to look after the families during their stay so far away from home.

Upon return to Australia, it was soon evident the Hart Walker was a major break-through in mobility for disabled children. News spread and the waiting list for the Walker quickly expanded to nearly 300.

It was at this stage that Lions Mints and Cake Slices threw their substantial weight behind the Program initially to provide seed funding to establish a manufacturing plant in Australia.

At the Canberra based Lions Conference held in May 1998, The Spastic Centre was delighted to receive an initial sum of $100,000 from The Lions Mints and Cake Slice Program. This was to be boosted in August by a generous donation from George Weston Foods Biscuit and Cake division QLD, who are the manufactures of Lion's Christmas Cakes and Slices. A total of $350,000 was donated by Lions prior to May 1999 when the formation of the Australian Lions Children's Mobility Foundation was approved at the Brisbane National Convention.

To meet the needs of those children on the ever expanding waiting list, it was realised that the quickest option was to import kits from David Hart himself, and assemble them at the Spastic Centre's Allambie headquarters. David Hart has stringent quality controls and has now found a manufacturer in Canada who can produce his Walker to a standard that he insists upon.

The initial seed funding provided by Lions was invaluable in establishing the Hart Walker program in Australia. The money was used to train staff, and to establish a specialised Hart Walker Unit at The Spastic Centre, now the central link for the various state programs.

Every State in Australia now has children fitted with Walkers, and trained teams to assess and fit the walkers. This has reduced the disruption to families and the travelling costs incurred. It also means that children can be seen for adjustments as soon as the need arises - growth spurts etc.

In March 2012, more than 546 Australian children have been provided with a Hart Walker of their own, thanks to funding assistance from Lions.

With the growth of the Australian Lions Children�s Mobility Foundation, funding has been made available for many types of walking device, with a total of 1571 grants approved since the inception of the Foundation. (As at 31 March 2012.)