One of the joys of being part of the Bear Cottage community is staying in touch with families who have been with us over many years. We were delighted to recently hear from the Brown family, who shared a heart-warming update about their daughter Erin and son Denver.

Erin, now 17, first started coming to Bear Cottage ten years ago with her mum Belinda, dad Darin, and older brother Denver. During that time, Denver became a familiar and much-loved face – he attended our sibling camps and was always happy to share his incredible talent on our piano, filling Bear Cottage with beautiful music. 

Back in 2022, while Erin was staying with us, Denver went on a charter flight over Kakadu and had the chance to sit up front with the pilot. That experience proved life-changing – it sparked his dream of becoming a pilot. From there, Denver began taking flying lessons while still in high school and achieved his recreational pilot licence in the same year he completed his HSC.

After school, Denver continued to chase his dream. He moved to Bankstown for full-time aviation studies, then relocated to Cowra in October last year to complete his commercial pilot training.

Recently, at just 19 years old, Denver officially graduated with his commercial pilot licence – a huge achievement that reflects years of hard work and dedication. His proud family shared that he hopes one day to fly for the Royal Flying Doctor Service, inspired by the children and families he met through Bear Cottage.

Denver still has a few more flight hours to complete before that dream can take off, but we know the sky is the limit for him. For those who remember his musical talents, we’re sure you’ll enjoy hearing this update – and we can’t wait to see where his next journey leads.