WITH necessary medical specialists and treatments regularly hours away, Max Beaton and his family shared a special celebration with a stranger on October 17, marking the seven-year-old’s 40th trip with volunteer service, Angel Flight Australia.

Angel Flight is a charity that coordinates non-emergency flights to help country people trying to deal with the triple trouble of bad health and daunting distance.

A bit of a misnomer, Angel Flight also includes on-the-ground support for the flights, with drivers – also volunteering their time and vehicles – at the end of each air journey, picking up patients and transporting them to and from their medical appointments and treatments.