Graphic: Tamlyn Gresser
Over our 95-year history, the Royal Flying Doctor Service has had its eye on the horizon. Our dedicated primary healthcare and retrievals teams couldn’t provide the finest care to the further corner without the tremendous work of our pilots and engineers.
Everyone works together to support our regional, rural and remote communities and we certainly don’t take their skills for granted.
This is why we not only invest in our people, but we invest in nurturing our future pilots, engineers, doctors and flight nurses.
In June alone, the RFDS was fortunate to be involved with two great events to showcase the variety and opportunity provided by a career in aviation.
Our Dubbo RFDS Base welcomed more than 100 girls from schools across Western NSW for the Women In Aviation Australian Chapter’s Girls in Aviation Day.
It wasn’t just about the propellors. The girls were able to hear from a wide variety of companies such as Boeing, QantasLink, drone operator Stevtech and Dubbo Regional Council in their capacity as an airport operator. And of course, the Flying Doctor showed all the exciting careers it has with its unique mix of aviation and healthcare.
Throughout the day students had the chance to visit company workstations, take a tour through our Mobile Education Unit and try their hand at flying some model aircraft, making for a great mix of learning and fun.
As the adage goes, you cannot be what you cannot see, and the RFDS was well-represented by Pilot Tamlyn Gresser, Engineering apprentice Emma Solberg, Operations Coordinator Marg Moon and Flight Nurse Ruth Clarke.
From Dubbo, to Broken Hill – the RFDS was excited to be part of a showcase with the Sydney Flight College, attracting more than 50 high school students from across Far West NSW to demonstrate what it takes to become a pilot.
With students travelling from up to two hours away for the experience RFDS Broken Hill Base Senior Pilot, Dave Rogers, was happy to take students on a tour of our hangar and facilities.
Students were particularly keen to look inside a King Air B200 aircraft – these are our most advanced small aircraft, nimble and easy to manoeuvre when travelling into rural and remote areas and perfect for landing on those first airstrips.
The RFDS is very proud of its rich history providing healthcare in rural and remote Australia and we are always looking to inspire the next generation to join.
