About us
Who we are
We help bring comfort, connection, and dignity to people nearing the end of life by fulfilling their final wish.
Ambulance Wish Western Australia is a registered charity and volunteer-led organisation dedicated to creating meaningful moments for those receiving palliative or end-of-life care. Our wishes are often simple, but deeply powerful – a visit to the beach, time at home, seeing a beloved place one last time, or sharing a special moment with family.
Our specially equipped Wish Ambulances and compassionate volunteers help make wishes possible by providing:
Safe and comfortable transport;
Clinical support where required;
A calm and caring presence throughout the journey; and
A personalised experience shaped around the recipient’s needs.
Every wish is undertaken with the approval of the person’s treating clinical team to ensure it is safe and appropriate.
These experiences become treasured memories for our wish recipients and the people who love them.
our approach
our mission
To provide compassionate, safe, and meaningful final wish experiences for people at the end of life, supported by volunteers and the generosity of our community.
Our mission is to provide compassionate, safe, and meaningful final wish experiences for people at the end of life, supported by dedicated volunteers and the generosity of the Western Australian community. We exist to ensure that individuals with a life-limiting illness are given the opportunity to experience something deeply important to them – a final moment of connection, comfort, or joy beyond the walls of their clinical setting.
This mission is carried out through the careful planning and delivery of wishes using our specially equipped Wish Ambulances and trained volunteer teams. Each wish is shaped around the unique needs, health considerations, and personal story of the recipient, undertaken in close collaboration with families and clinical staff to ensure safety, dignity, and respect throughout the journey. Whether a wish involves returning to a treasured place, spending time with loved ones, or reconnecting with Country, our focus is always on creating calm, supported, and memorable experiences.
At the heart of our mission is a belief that every person deserves choice, compassion, and meaningful moments right until the end of life. Through the kindness of volunteers, donors, and partners, Ambulance Wish Western Australia is able to offer these experiences free of charge, creating lasting memories not only for wish recipients, but also for the families and communities who walk beside them.
our vision
To ensure that every life in Western Australia can be celebrated with a special final wish, creating lasting memories for individuals and families.
Our vision is to ensure that every life in Western Australia can be honoured and celebrated through a special final wish experience, creating lasting memories for individuals and the families who love them. We believe that even in the most difficult moments, there remains space for connection, meaning, and comfort – and that a final wish can provide a powerful sense of peace, dignity, and choice at the end of life.
In this future, no person nearing the end of life is denied the opportunity to visit a cherished place, share an important moment, or reconnect with what matters most. Whether it is feeling the ocean breeze one last time, returning home, attending a family milestone, or simply spending precious time with loved ones outside the hospital environment, each wish becomes a gentle reminder that life is still worthy of celebration until the very end.
We envision a Western Australia where compassion is lived through community action – where volunteers, clinicians, supporters, and donors come together to make these journeys possible. Through this shared commitment, Ambulance Wish Western Australia hopes to create a legacy of kindness, ensuring that every person has the chance to experience a final chapter filled with dignity, love, and unforgettable moments.
our history
Ambulance Wish Western Australia was founded following the death of a close friend who was unable to fulfil his final wish before he passed.
Out of this loss came a heartfelt commitment: to ensure that others in similar circumstances are given the chance to experience something that matters most to them, when time is precious.
The Final Wish Programme officially launched on 28 October 2021, and since then we have been honoured to support dozens of Western Australians and their families through some of life’s most difficult days.
Peppi the Numbat is the official mascot for Ambulance Wish Western Australia, representing the state’s unique fauna while bringing comfort to patients fulfilling their final wishes. As an endangered, termite-eating numbat native to Western Australia, Peppi symbolises the charity’s local roots and dedication to care, with all wish recipients receiving a Peppi as a memento of their final wish.
Susie & Gary Wilson, the founders of Ambulance Wish Western Australia, took inspiration from the concept created by Stichting Ambulance Wens – Ambulance Wish Foundation.
Dutchman, Kees Veldboer, while working as an ambulance driver was talking to Mr Stefanutto while waiting for his delayed appointment. Mr Stefanutto, a former sailor, described how he very much wanted to sail on a ship one last time. The following day, Kees fulfilled Mr Stefanutto’s final wish, allowing him to sail around Rotterdam harbour and visit his old haunts. Following this wish, Kees, determined to spread joy and make a difference, decided to establish an organisation that fulfils the last wishes of the terminally ill and bedridden individuals.
On 26 February 2007 Stichting Ambulance Wens was established in the Netherlands as an addition to the care for immobile, terminally ill patients. Today, Stichting Ambulance Wens has fulfilled over 25,000 final wishes and inspired the formation of numerous Ambulance Wish charities across the globe.
powered by volunteers and community
Ambulance Wish Western Australia is only possible because of the extraordinary kindness of our volunteers, supporters, donors, and partners.
As a charitable organisation, we rely entirely on community support to operate our Wish Ambulances and deliver these experiences free of charge to recipients and families.
Every donation, every volunteer hour, and every act of generosity helps make a final wish come true.
Get involved
Whether you would like to request a wish, volunteer your time, or support our work through donations or partnerships, we would love to hear from you.
Together, we can create moments of peace, love, and lasting memory when they matter most.
our values
We believe in the value of working with others and achieving together what may not be possible alone for the best interests of our community. We aspire to bring a collaborative spirit and strategy to all that we do, learning from the insights and leadership of others, and sharing openly what others may be able learn from us.
Compassion: Awareness of a person’s suffering with an urge to alleviate their pain.
Courage: Be bold and challenge the status quo.
Dignity: Valuing every person as an individual whose value is not diminished by pain or suffering.
Humanity: Understanding and kindness towards others.
Humility: Have curiosity and the desire to learn.
Respect: Treat everyone with dignity and value the collective power of teamwork.
Wisdom: To make decisions in the best interests of the community.
