Million-dollar man paraglides to beat polio

Berry Rotary member Ken Hutt was recently awarded an OAM for his dedication to community service. For the past 12 years, he has been working with International Rotary to help fulfil their mission to eradicate polio across the globe.

What sets Ken apart is the unique way he raises funds for the cause – paragliding off some of the world’s highest peaks. 

Ken says he became fascinated with paragliding after mountaineering with a man who paraglided off a peak to get back down. Ken started paragliding himself and found it created a newsworthy angle to help with fundraising efforts for polio.

Climbing Mount Everest has been done many times, he said, but paragliding off mountains was unique. So far, paragliding has helped him to raise more than $1 million towards polio eradication. 

In 2014, Ken paraglided from the top of Mt Cho Oyo in Tibet – the world’s sixth highest mountain – back to base camp. In 2022, he made headlines with his vision to be the first man to paraglide off Mount Everest.

The journey was documented by filmmaker Joe Carter, who produced the film Fly to Everest about Ken and his Mount Everest expedition. Unfortunately, Ken developed severe pneumonia at camp 2 so he could not complete the climb.

Three of his climbing party made it to the top and Ken says even though he didn’t get to paraglide from Mount Everest, more than $250,000 was still raised for polio eradication.

In addition to travelling around the country raising funds screening the documentary, Ken takes trekkers to Mount Everest base camp each year and aims to return next year. So far he has raised nearly $300,000 with the treks. He keeps going because the fight is continuous.

Although Australia was declared polio free in 2000, the disease is still endemic in Pakistan and Afghanistan, so much of Rotary’s effort is focused there. To combat the disease, regular testing and monitoring of sewage systems is required, and immunisations need to be purchased and administered to children under five. The disease is highly contagious but preventable through vaccine.

It can cause long-term disability, paralysis and even death. Ken is hopeful that in another five to seven years, the disease will be eradicated globally. 

For more about the Rotary Club of Berry, visit their website