Flying high with feet firmly on the ground

Studying psychology at Western helped inspirational charity CEO Clare Pearson discover her passion and purpose, writes Katrina Lobley.

When children’s charity leader, Clare Pearson, addressed Western’s psychology graduates last year, she had a simple message for them: follow your North Star and trust in yourself.

After all, it’s by focusing on her passions that Clare found her way to Little Wings – a not-for-profit based at Sydney’s Bankstown Aerodrome that flies and then drives seriously ill children in rural and regional New South Wales, the ACT and Queensland to their big-city treating hospitals and accommodation. Clare has done such a stellar job at the charity that she’s one of two finalists for the 2026 NSW Premier’s Woman of Excellence (the winner will be announced in the lead-up to International Women’s Day). The prestigious award celebrates role models who effect lasting change and inspire others.

Clare’s career “flight path” hasn’t exactly followed a straight line. She originally tried teaching – following in her father’s footsteps – but related more to her mother’s work as a nurse and midwife. “I saw her in a lot of caring roles where she was working at the hospital with very vulnerable babies,” Clare says. “Seeing her do that and then seeing those babies and those families thrive and no longer need to be in hospital, I remember feeling a real sense of pride and connection to what she was achieving there.”

Clare completed Social Science and Arts degrees, majoring in psychology, at Western, spending most of her time at the Werrington campus but sometimes attending Bankstown and Parramatta campuses. Her memories include a “really great friendship group” and Werrington’s ease of access and facilities. “I was a diligent student and I still love to learn,” says Clare. Having a small gap between high school and uni was also beneficial. “Having that little bit of maturity helped me stay focused,” she says. “The most powerful thing that I got throughout my undergrad degree was my sense of purpose - I think that was really firmly established for me that I wanted to work with purpose.”

Post-studies, Clare worked as a child protection caseworker in Blacktown before heading to London where she undertook a master’s degree in child and adolescent welfare via distance education. Her work in the not-for-profit sector led her to pen a 2018 book, Threads of Hope, which celebrated the resilience of human-trafficking survivors.

“Sex trafficking is very unpalatable [as a subject] and it was very hard to raise money so we used beautiful images, things that people are comfortable looking at, but we told [the women’s] stories and shared what was happening to them,” says Clare. “One said her mum had sold her for 10 kilos of rice. To know your own mother sold you for a bag of rice, it was just, ‘How do you go on? How do you feel good about yourself and feel like you add value and that you are worthwhile when every experience you've had tells you you're not?’” The book sold out, helping to open up conversations about how to best support survivors.

In 2019, Clare joined Little Wings as CEO and “it was just like all my skills and experiences came to land”. “I have a real affinity with children and families, and it was all those things in this one space so I just fell in love with it straight away,” says Clare, who is a mum of two young boys.

“I spend a lot of time at work so I also want my children to understand how important it is to give back, to be part of a solution ... to see that we can do something and also to be mindful that you don't have to save the world but it can really make a difference in someone's world by the little things that you do.”

As an example, Clare tells the story of an Iraqi immigrant family based in the NSW regional city of Dubbo. After five years of using Little Wings for their son’s cancer treatments, he went into remission. “We wanted to do something to celebrate him,” says Clare.

So she organised for a hangar full of surprises – from traditional drummers to gathering all the pilots and drivers that had transported the family over the years. “It was that ability to say, ‘We're so happy for you, we're just so proud of you and we're so grateful to be part of the journey’,” she says.

The moment also shows how she leads with heart. Clare’s team comprises the full-time equivalent of eight staff and an army of 103-plus active volunteers who commit to at least one “mission” a week, whether that’s helping with IT, photography or event management. She’s also careful to watch her team members, including pilots and drivers, for burn-out. “The culture at Little Wings is something I'm really proud of – we’ve worked hard on that and we're really protective of it.”

Little Wings’ air fleet comprises four Beechcraft Barons and a larger, eight-seat Navajo (two of the planes’ tails feature artwork by Indigenous artist Daisy Hill). Even though she’s surrounded by planes and working to increase the number of female pilots in the aviation industry, Clare isn’t planning to obtain a pilot’s license. “I'm always challenging things and pushing boundaries and you just can't do that when you're a pilot,” she says. “My skills are on the ground.”

ENDS.

6 March 2026
Media Unit