Young cancer patient's wish to 'blow stuff up' comes true thanks to federal police
Updated
Australian Federal Police (AFP) have joined forces with the Make-A-Wish foundation to grant an unusual request from a 12-year-old cancer patient, organising a day at a training village so he can "blow stuff up".
Declan, who is in remission from leukaemia, spent the day with the AFP's Specialist Response Group at its Majura headquarters in Canberra.
He was put through his paces in several police scenarios, and given the chance to detonate explosive charges in training exercises.
The group's Sergeant Peter Murphy helped to guide Declan through the ins-and-outs of working with explosives.
"We're the breaching team, so it's pretty much one of our specialties," he said.
Sergeant Murphy said Declan had a potential future in breaching and demolitions.
"He's got an aptitude," he said.
"I'm not sure what he actually expected, but once he started functioning a couple ... he was getting into it.
"He was pretty excited about it but I think the family got a bit of a kick out of it too."
Declan travelled to the ACT from near Sydney after Make-A-Wish organised the trip, which also included a meeting at Parliament House with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove.
Topics: human-interest, police, charities-and-community-organisations, health, canberra-2600, act, australia, sydney-2000
First posted
