{"id":5577,"date":"2014-12-28T22:15:08","date_gmt":"2014-12-28T22:15:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/janetgover.com\/?page_id=5577"},"modified":"2024-12-27T12:52:07","modified_gmt":"2024-12-27T12:52:07","slug":"the-royal-flying-doctor-service","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/?page_id=5577","title":{"rendered":"The Royal Flying Doctor Service"},"content":{"rendered":"

Can you imagine what it would be like to have only two doctors to care for all the people living in an area of two million square miles? That\u2019s right \u2013 two million square miles, and at a time when cars were rare and aircraft ever rarer.<\/p>\n

That was the Australian outback in the 1920\u2019s, before a remarkable man \u2013 the Rev. John Flynn came along. He was a Presbyterian minister and he founded what was then called the Australian Inland Mission Aerial Medical Service.<\/p>\n

\"John<\/a>
John Flynn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The service was based at Cloncurry in Queensland. Not all that far from my fictional town of Coorah Creek and its first flight was on May 17th<\/sup> 1928. It has grown steadily in the years since then \u2013 saving lives across the vast interior of Australia.<\/p>\n

In the 1950s, the then Prime Minister of Australia, Sir Robert Menzies said the RFDS (as it was now known) was \u201cperhaps the single greatest contribution to the effective settlement of the far distant country that we have witnessed in our time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Flynn of the Inland \u2013 as he became known \u2013 was honoured on the Australian $20 bill.<\/p>\n

\"20
John Flynn on the Australian 20 dollar note<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Having found myself once in need of medical assistance in the red centre of Australia, I cannot speak highly enough of this remarkable service. They evacuated me out of Uluru and flew me to Alice Springs hospital. That would have been a six and a half hour journey by car. They had me there in under an hour.<\/p>\n

And \u2013 perhaps the most amazing thing about all this is \u2013 there was no charge to me. I was not insured. It was, quite simply, a free service. That is really something very special. John Flynn was buried near Alice Springs \u2013 where a memorial now stands to honour a man of unique vision.<\/p>\n

\"Flynns<\/a>
Like of lot of people who live or have travelled in the outback \u2013 I have much for which I should thank John Flynn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Air ambulance services exist in many parts of the world \u2013 and every single one saves lives.<\/p>\n

But for me \u2013 the RFDS will also be something very special. You can find out more about them \u2013 or even donate to help the service continue \u2013 on their website:<\/p>\n

\"RFDS\"<\/a><\/p>\n