Past patient of RACQ Lifeflight Rescue, Peter Pellicaan thought he’d never walk again, let alone help a couple walk down the aisle – all while raising money for the vital rescue helicopter service.
In 2009, Peter was airlifted by the Toowoomba RACQ LifeFlight Rescue chopper, following a terrible motorcycle accident.
The injuries to his back and pelvis, had doctors convinced he would not regain full use of his legs.
Peter defied those predictions and was standing at the altar at his own wedding, just 5 weeks after he was airlifted.
Now, wedding bells will ring again, partly thanks to Peter.
The generous musician was performing a “lockdown gig” called LIVE on the Deck, for his neighbours and Facebook followers, to raise money for RACQ LifeFlight Rescue, when he announced a surprise proposal on behalf of one of his friends.
He held up a sign, from Damo Neil, asking Claire Neylon to marry him.
“It’s pretty public right? Don’t leave Damo on a string alright. Damo has just popped the question on LIVE on the Deck,” said Peter.
The gig continued, with Peter and his punters on the edge of their seats, posting comments and waiting to hear if Claire had accepted.
Finally, as the fundraiser reached its finale, came confirmation of the beginning of a new adventure for the Toowoomba couple at the centre of it all.
“A massive congratulations to Damo and Claire! What a day! That is so exciting that you guys are engaged. Fantastic news for us all and especially for you. A huge congrats, that’s brilliant,” Peter announced.
“Thank you for requesting songs and donating to LifeFlight. Thank you to everybody online.”
“If you haven’t donated to LifeFlight and you’ve got some spare cash, I would love for you to jump on there and say thanks to them for what they are doing at this time. I’d love to be able to raise three thousand dollars over the next couple of weeks.”
The loved-up live gig for LifeFlight has heartened the organisation’s hardworking fundraisers, who have been facing challenges to raise money, with so many charity events cancelled or postponed, due to the pandemic.
“This is just so exciting – a wedding and pledges of support to help our service. Congratulations to Damo and Claire, we’re thrilled for them!” said LifeFlight Regional Development Manager Jodi Durkin.
“Thank you so much to Peter and his fans. He is such an inspiration and an incredible LifeFlight supporter. Learning to walk again, then going on to compete in multiple cycling events to raise money for our helicopters – and now today’s fundraising performance and the proposal are the icing on the cake – a wedding cake!”
To support Peter Pellicaan’s fundraising, please go to – https://give.everydayhero.com/au/peter-180
