If you’ve watched the RFDS TV series, you’ve had a glimpse at the Flying Doctor life – albeit with a hint of extra drama.
While the TV version of the Flying Doctor is a work of fiction, it’s been fantastic to see the spirit of the RFDS brought to screens across Australia.
With filming of the latest season at the RFDS Port Augusta Base, across the Flinders Ranges and Far North SA, that connection to the Flying Doctor’s work in SA has never felt stronger.
Established in 1955, the Port Augusta Base is one of the beating hearts of the RFDS. At its centre is a state-of-the-art Operations Communications Centre, where the RFDS coordinates emergency calls and plans all 24-hour retrieval and inter-hospital transfer flights across Australia’s central corridor, from Mount Gambier to Darwin.
The Port Augusta Base is also headquarters for the RFDS Primary Health Care Service which serves an area of 840,000 square kilometres.
Meet some of the people who transform this massive network into a lifeline and whose stories reflect the true spirit of the Flying Doctor.
Lachie
Since joining the organisation in January 2024, Pilot Lachlan Hayes has found the perfect blend of purpose and passion.
Growing up in Newcastle and discovering flying young, Lachie’s since moved across Queensland and SA, settling in Port Augusta.
What he finds most satisfying is how the whole team comes together – each playing their part for patients. From navigating outback airstrips at night to working in extreme weather and remote stations, he’s seen how invaluable multi-disciplinary teamwork becomes in real time.
"The big appeal for me is I get to combine something I really enjoy doing – flying – with a chance to give back and help people.
"It’s a pretty impressive thing to be a part of and I’m very proud of that."
Shannyn
Deputy Flight Nurse Manager Shannyn Fitzgerald has spent nine years with the RFDS, bringing together qualifications in registered nursing, midwifery, emergency care and aeromedical retrieval to serve some of Australia’s most remote communities.
Born and raised in Port Augusta, she trained and worked across Adelaide before finding her calling in the unpredictable world of aeromedical nursing.
With limited resources, Shannyn relies on preparation, innovation and tight coordination with doctors – especially during remote retrievals – where even reaching the patient becomes part of the adventure.
“No two days are the same. One shift may mean treating a child with burns, the next responding to a remote trauma accident.
“Working in a cramped, dimly lit cabin demands precision, resourcefulness and the ability to think on your feet.
You can’t just call on a team for backup. Communication through the headset must be perfectly timed.”
Caitlyn
Community Midwife Caitlyn Reid’s passion for working for the RFDS comes from growing up in rural Australia – she has always felt at home when there’s been sandhills or vast spaces.
She might spend one day liaising with birthing hospitals, booking ultrasounds and coordinating pregnancy care, and the next flying to remote towns or stations for face-to-face care and check-ups.
Caitlyn loves the continuity – what she calls “cradle to grave” care. She might support a woman through pregnancy, then return to the next clinic with the team where “Dad’s come off the motorbike”, building unique connections with families she’s known for years.
Outside of this, the RFDS also attends community events as a first-line medical response.
“We cover topics like, diabetes, mental wellbeing, smoking, and we’re also there as a first response if someone comes off at the camel races, which has happened.
“We’re that whole-of-life wraparound service.”
Neil
Critical Care Doctor Dr Neil Thomson spent 18 years in ambulance services in the UK before moving into medicine.
Drawn to the challenge of pre-hospital retrieval medicine, he thrives in the outback’s vast environment, where “long distances take a long time to get care to a patient”.
Working with remote communities, station owners, and local clinics, he helps optimise the patient before the RFDS is even physically on scene – often using telehealth and working creatively with those on the ground such as through sharing photos.
And for Neil, it’s all about teamwork – both within the RFDS and outback communities.
“It’s amazing what we can do over the phone with a station hand and an RFDS Medical Chest.
“The unpredictable stuff is what happens when the phone rings… Do we have the right team, the right equipment? Where is the patient in relation to the aircraft? Are they going to be able to get the patient to the airstrip, or are we going to have to pile everything on the back of a ute and drive for an hour or two?”
“From the flight nurses, pilots, coordinators, clinic nurses, paramedics, volunteers – there’s a huge raft of people. We are nothing without the people around us.”
Emma
Operations Manager Emma Coulter’s passion for emergency services began with volunteering for the State Emergency Service.
In the RFDS Operations Communications Centre, where more than 800 calls are received each day, Emma’s team swiftly connects the caller to a doctor, pinpoints the location, and begins coordinating aircraft, landing strips and clinical priorities – often within minutes.
The coordination is a complex puzzle.
“Our role is to patch patients through to the doctor as fast as we can for a clinical assessment, and for that doctor to then be providing that really quick first assessment of what’s going on, what we can do to help.
“In the background, we’re listening on the phone and beginning to coordinate the logistics. We all just get on with it as a team.”
Learn more about the Flying Doctor
