Help support the McGregor-Shaw boys

One second, one storm, one accident – Arnhem Highway

The accident

The lives of a beloved, humble, and community-spirited family changed forever on Australia Day. Dedicated fishing enthusiasts Charles, Mary-Lou and two of their three sons headed east from rural Darwin bound for a day's fishing at Shady Camp. On a sweeping bend, in a monsoonal downpour, an oncoming car hit them head-on.

When the car came to rest, Willard, 11, and his elder brother Stirling, 16-year-old, both unaware of their serious injuries, fought to help their parents and make the vehicle safe. The remoteness of their location delayed help, and critically injured Mary-Lou and Charles were eventually freed by emergency services and taken to Royal Darwin Hospital.

They fought for their lives in Royal Darwin Hospital's ICU before they were stable enough to be flown to Perth for more specialist care. Charles had suffered multiple broken bones, including spinal injuries in his neck and back. Mary-Lou was in a coma, her major head trauma resulting in a severe brain injury. She underwent two emergency, lifesaving surgeries in those first 24 hours. Surgeons worked hard to stabilise Charles, performing life-saving surgery on the crushed vertebrae in his neck. Young Willard had surgery to repair a torn bowel, and Stirling underwent surgeries on his broken leg and shoulder. Their middle brother, George, who had been on holiday interstate, flew home to wait with his grandparents and extended family for news.

About the family

(At back) Stirling, Mary-Lou, Charles, (in front) Willard and George.

The much-loved McGregor-Shaw family moved to Darwin from Katherine for their boys' high school years and are typically Territorian. They are developing their dream property: a 20-acre block featuring the regulation big shed to house the fishing boat and boys' motorbikes and a neat three-bedroom home they plan to extend to give the boys a bedroom each. They are passionate about family, rugby league, fishing, motorbikes, chooks, vegetable gardens, dogs and friends. Charles is a green thumb and grows locally famous hot chillies and spectacular tropical flowers. Mary-Lou starts each day with a five am, five-kilometre run before settling into a coffee and Wordle game before the school day chaos begins.

Willard (now 11) started fishing young

Mary-Lou, George, Willard and Stirling on a weekend fishing trip

But they are most notable for the time they give to volunteering at sports, school, and fundraisers. Mary-Lou's a former CWA champion, volunteer breastfeeding counsellor, a footy team manager (and a die-hard Cowboys supporter), Chuck's been the footy club medic, and both support the coaches in any way they can. Ironically, Charles crews (and trains crew members for) Care flight’s rescue helicopters. He helps save lives daily, caring for people in their most vulnerable moments of fear and trauma. The McGregor-Shaws are committed to helping shape a safe and thriving community for all.

Stirling, George and Willard have all played league and union for their local rural Darwin footy teams.

Charles and Mary-Lou

Life right now

It's been four weeks of heartache, small joys, hope and prayer. Mary-Lou, who is still in a coma, and Charles are receiving the best of medical care, but their injuries are life-changing. They face many months of medical interventions and rehabilitation in specialist care on their long road to recovery. The boys' grandparents, Bill and Maureen O’Keeffe, have relocated from their small, tight-knit community in Katherine to Perth to care for their grandsons and create as normal a life for them as possible, taking each day as it comes.

Mary-Lou's parents Maureen and Bill O'Keeffe

How can you help?

The family has been overwhelmed by love and support, which illustrates the esteem in which they are held. But financial support is needed urgently to support the boys' grandparents, Maureen and Bill O’Keeffe, who are covering the everyday expenses of caring for three teenage boys while their parents are incapacitated. That's where you come in. Any donation, no matter how insignificant you think it may be, will help pay for the extra food, clothing, and petrol for the boys' daily hospital visits for medical treatment and to visit mum and dad, and internet for remote schooling. Family members are pitching in to make sure Charles and Mary-Lou's bills are paid, and their Darwin home and their pets are cared for, but no one could have budgeted for this level of personal devastation.

Just a note about privacy

Despite being well known for all the right reasons, we know the McGregor-Shaws and the O’Keeffes are very humble and private people, and while they are recognised as givers, receiving brings discomfort. We held off launching a GoFundMe until Charles was conscious and able to communicate so he could make decisions on behalf of his beloved family. While going public makes him uncomfortable, he understands in these chaotic first few months; it's all hands on deck to help the boys maintain their schooling and routine.

Charles and his boys