Graphic: 94 years young
As the Flying Doctor marks 94 years in the air this week, veteran Queensland grazier Trevor Saal is also preparing to celebrate his 94th lap around the sun.
Trevor and his wife Pearl lived happily on their property, Tarewinnabar, in the Arcadia Valley in Central Queensland for more than 30 years.
During that time, Trevor said he experienced firsthand just how important of a resource the Flying Doctor is for people living in regional, rural, and remote Australia.
“In the late 1990s I parted company with a motorbike while mustering.
“I broke my pelvis and was flown with the RFDS from Roma to Rockhampton.”
A decade or so later, Trevor said the Flying Doctor came to his aid once again, to provide life-saving care.
“I had a fall from a ladder and really knocked myself about.
“I did my pelvis again and had eight fractured ribs.”
Trevor was flown by the RFDS from Roma to Toowoomba, where he spent time in the ICU before being able to return home to Tarewinnabar.
Trevor said it was an honor to share his birth year with the Flying Doctor and hopes his story helps to promote a further awareness of the life-saving work of the RFDS.
“This service (the RFDS) enables people to live and work in rural areas, to produce the crops and livestock that people in towns and cities need.
“RFDS is the lifeblood to western communities. Accidents and unexpected health issues happen at any time and this service is there for all, free of charge. It can’t get better than that.”
