By KATHERINE HOBY
Asher Everton almost slept through his first chance to fulfil his dream of flying.
The 2 1/2-year-old Pukekohe boy, who has leukaemia, was one of 32 Auckland children with cancer who had the opportunity to take a flight in a Second World War Catalina flying boat yesterday.
Asher's mother, Tina
Everton, said her son was asleep in the car when they arrived at Ardmore Airport. He soon perked up when he took a tour of the Catalina.
"He was going then - absolutely. Nothing was going to stop him once he saw what the plane was like," she said.
"He loves planes. Sometimes it seems like every second word is 'plane.' So this was a dream come true."
Joanna Kingsbury, of the Child Cancer Foundation, said it was a chance to give families "a treat and a bit of time out."
"Just to see their faces when they climb down from the Catalina - it's magic," she said.
"To have a treat in the middle of this trauma has put the treat in treatment for our kids."
The Ardmore-based Catalina Club, which operates the Southern Hemisphere's only Catalina still flying, offered the flights to complete a year's fundraising for cancer.
Timothy Grey, an 11-year-old with leukaemia, was one of those chosen to take a flight. His father, brother, and two sisters accompanied him on the Catalina.
Timothy described how he saw mountains, "houses which looked like shoeboxes" and the Sky Tower.
"It was cool," he said.
Catalina Club president Ross Ewing said the reality of cancer was brought home to it after a founding member died of melanoma.
Members hope to raise $10,000 by next month for child cancer.
The fuel for the flights was donated by Mainfreight.
Asher Everton's mother says her son has not been able to stop talking about the "big noisy plane boat" since he went for his flight.
"Planes are the method of transport now. Going in a car used to be a treat but I'm afraid it just won't cut it if it doesn't have wings."
