Jack the Wagtail: 20 years of tenacious fundraising for burns research, Fiona Wood Foundation

More than two decades since the death of their son whose life was only just beginning, Helen and Gary Dunn still use the same word to describe their Jack — tenacious. Sixteen-year-old Jack was a cheeky kid from Padbury who loved going for a surf or taking his motorbike for a spin. “He’d been a carefree kid. He had a boat licence at the age of 12, built his own boat with his uncle,” Mr Dunn said. Jack had ambitions to be a farmer, which took him on an adventure 350km north of Perth to the WA College of Agriculture in Morawa. He and mate Josh Mills were on work experience at a farm near Eneabba on December 10, 2002, when a routine harvest ignited a paddock fire. When the burning crop reached a ute full of fuel, it exploded. Josh received burns to 30 per cent of his body, but Jack wasn’t as fortunate. He suffered catastrophic burns to more than 95 per cent of his body. The pair were airlifted to Royal Perth Hospital, where they were placed under the care of burns specialist Professor Fiona Wood and her team. Josh was discharged a few weeks later, but Jack faced a longer, more gruelling stay. Staff at the time said Jack’s burns were among the worst they’d seen. Just eight weeks earlier they’d treated dozens of Bali bombing burn victims. He spent seven weeks in ICU where he continued to leave medicos dumbfounded by his bullish resolve. But his burns were too severe, and his body succumbed to infection. Jack died on January 28, 2003. Soon after Mr Dunn was at the church grounds across the road from RPH when he pulled from his pocket one of many cards of encouragement given to Jack. On it was a picture of a willie wagtail. “I opened up this card, and it was from a school teacher, and she said to Jack, ‘you’re as tenacious as a willie wagtail,” he said. “We were sitting there, Helen and I, and then a wagtail landed on my toe as I was reading the card. “And the willie wagtail’s never left us. I’d be driving along, pull up to a set of traffic lights, and a willie wagtail would land on my mirror. “It’s never left me alone. And that was a lot of reassurance for me, that little wagtail.” It became a symbol for Jack, his tenacious spirit and the enduring legacy his family has since carved out for him through Jack the Wagtail. “Through Jack’s journey in hospital, we found out there was no money for burns research,” Mr Dunn said. It astounded him, so he and friend Glenn Buck, then-deputy principal at Marmion Primary School, got to work. “With the friendship of Glenn Buck and his tenacious spirit as well, we formed Jack the Wagtail,” Mr Dunn said. The Jack the Wagtail Challenge is an obstacle course undertaken by the students, who fundraise for the Fiona Wood Foundation. They also learn about burns first aid and prevention through the year. Two decades later, Jack the Wagtail is enshrined in the school’s charter, and every principal since has ensured Jack the Wagtail continues to soar. “The day we started Jack the Wagtail . . . when (Fiona Wood) got up here to speak, a willie wagtail flew into the assembly, and (she) said, ‘well, Jack’s here,’” Mr Buck said. “It blows me away that it’s still going.” To date, the students have raised $270,000 for the Fiona Wood Foundation. It’s helped fund initiatives like the Burns Management Program, which equips rural and remote healthcare workers and volunteers with essential skills for managing burn injuries in isolated areas. Professor Wood reflected on her time treating Jack, hoping she and her team could save him. “I remember Jack really well. And I remember that Christmas and going into January thinking maybe it’s going to be a different path, maybe he will get through this,” she said. “But it was a mountain, a huge mountain, and it was so hard to climb that despite being such a great soldier . . . he just couldn’t get over the line. I remember that day really well. “Jack was incredibly strong, and incredibly brave.” The Dunns were reunited with some of Jack’s carers as they celebrated the milestone, including Professor Wood and Dale Edgar. Tears welled in the eyes of each person as they remembered Jack. It’s a tight-knit group, bonded by unforeseen tragedy. Dr Edgar was a senior physiotherapist at RPH and worked with Jack in the ICU. “He really was tenacious. He just kept having a go,” he said. After working with Jack for weeks to help him regain some mobility — a big milestone was sitting up to eat some ice-cream — Dr Edgar described his death as “devastating”. “As a physio, you build up really close relationships with patients,” he said. “You’re spending two, three, four hours a day with these people, trying to get the best out of them.” The tenacious 16-year-old left an indelible mark on those who cared for him, but also those who never knew him. “It’s good to feel good about something, to teach kids to care about something and help people they’ll never know,” Professor Wood said. “Together, we’ll change the world.”