The RFDS in QLD
Staff and patient stories
Graphic: RFDS delivers first baby born in Richmond in 15 years
RFDS helps deliver first baby born in Richmond in 15 years
Jess Harvey was 35 weeks pregnant when she awoke in the middle of the night with contractions at home, two hours from her nearest town. The RFDS was soon called to assist, and not long after baby Darby arrived.
More detailsGraphic: 94 years young
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.
More detailsGraphic: Chae in cockpit
Local boy’s dream of touring RFDS comes true
With the dream of living in the outback when he grows up, Chae first learned of the Flying Doctor when the service saved his uncle’s life, after the man was bitten by a deadly snake on a fishing trip.
More detailsGraphic: State Virtual Health Care Lead Shaun Francis
Becoming a Flying Doctor
For Dr Shaun Francis there was no defining moment that inspired his career. Instead, it was a culmination of things — his rural upbringing, interest in human biology, and desire to work as part of a high performing team, in a high-pressure environment — that led him to where he is today.
More detailsGraphic: RFDS Dental Service
Bringing a smile to rural and remote Queensland
Senior Dental Assistant Kaylah Sinclair says she understands that for many, going to the dentist is a dreaded experience. That’s why she takes great pride in ensuring RFDS patients feel comfortable throughout their treatment and leave with a smile.
More detailsGraphic: Flight Nurse Hayden Wilson
Flight Nurse Hayden Wilson
Growing up on Norfolk Island, Flight Nurse Hayden Wilson saw his fair share of aeromedical retrievals, and with a nurse in the family it’s no surprise that he’s landed the job he has today.
More detailsGraphic: doctor rfds plane
All in a day’s work: Keeping Michael alive
When Dr Charles Ellis wakes up in the morning, he’s never quite sure what the day will hold. One day he got a call that was life or death.
More detailsGraphic: selfie of tim in townsville
Well that wasn’t on the bucket list
Tim Elleston and his wife were on the road trip of a lifetime through outback Queensland when their trip didn’t quite go to plan.
More detailsGraphic: Pilot Mark Stuart-Russell
Born to Fly: The journey to become a pilot
At just four days old, Mark Stuart-Russell took his first flight. He was taken home from hospital in his father’s Cessna 170.
More detailsGraphic: Flight Nurse reunited with baby born in the sky
Flight Nurse reunited with baby born onboard aircraft
It was a reunion four years in the making. After giving birth to a little boy in the back of an RFDS aircraft in 2017, Lucy Westcott and her family were reunited with their Flight Nurse Timna Wright.
More detailsGraphic: RFDS team at Nockatunga Station
Prioritising health in rural Queensland
For 18 years, Royal Flying Doctor Service (Queensland Section) (RFDS) Nurse Manager Jo Mahony has been a driving force in supporting rural communities through every high and low.
More detailsGraphic: Gregory QCWA raise funds for the RFDS (Queensland Section)
Gregory QCWA help keep the Flying Doctor flying
For everyone in the region around Gregory, the RFDS is their general practitioner, their emergency response and their mental health support. So, when we needed an upgraded clinic, the local women stepped in to help.
More detailsGraphic: Flight Nurse celebrates 10 years with the Service
Flight Nurse celebrates 10 years with the Service
From providing care at 20,000 ft to delivering babies in remote hospitals, Flight Nurse Haidee Kerr shares why working for the Royal Flying Doctor Service is her dream job.
More detailsGraphic: RFDS (Queensland Section) Health Promotions Officer Judith Taylor
More than emergency healthcare — RFDS Field Days
Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) Field Days are just one of the many ways people in rural and remote areas can access the Flying Doctor’s life-saving treatment.
More detailsGraphic: RFDS needs your help to assist cardiac patients
RFDS calls for help to assist cardiac patients
Cardiac emergencies account for almost 25 per cent of all patients transported by the Flying Doctor. And keeping so many critically-ill patients safe in the air requires constant access to a vast and costly range of cardiac monitoring medical equipment and supplies.
More detailsGraphic: doctor outback mental health tim driscoll
The accidental psychologist
For some, working in healthcare is a lifelong dream. For Dr Tim Driscoll it was a happy accident, stumbling upon the profession while working abroad. Now Tim helps hundreds of Queenslanders improve their mental health each year.
More detailsGraphic: RFDS (Queensland Section) Flight Nurse Michelle Ball
Flight nurse on the Ball
Aeromedical retrievals aren’t for the faint hearted. Just ask RFDS Flight Nurse Michelle Ball. Michelle reflects on her role with the Service, including the time she was tasked with attending a helicopter crash, via helicopter.
More detailsGraphic: Busby Marou
A flight like no other
“I really didn’t want to put them out, so I told them it's all good, I'm a platinum flyer so I can sort the flight out myself. They pretty quickly told me I would be flying with the Flying Doctor.”
More detailsGraphic: flight nurse justine powell queensland
A nurse's life in the sky
From finding a career to finding love, in her 20 years with the Royal Flying Doctor Service (Queensland Section) Nurse Manager Justine Powell has quite a few interesting tales to tell.
More detailsGraphic: sam bruce works on place apprentice engineer
From patient to RFDS apprentice engineer
As a baby Sam Bruce was rushed to Brisbane, now he's on the other side of the spectrum, working as an apprentice for the RFDS (Queensland Section).
More detailsGraphic: Flight Nurse Jacinta Jones helps outback patients
Drama in the outback
From lost and injured station hands, to heart attacks and mid-air births, there is no such thing as a typical workday for RFDS (Queensland Section) Flight Nurse Jacinta Jones.
More detailsGraphic: Helicopter crash survivor pays tribute to Flying Doctor
Helicopter crash survivor pays tribute to the Flying Doctor
Grazier Michael Tomlinson was mustering cattle from a helicopter near Augathella when he experienced engine trouble and plummeted to the ground.
More detailsGraphic: From selling spare parts to flying planes
From selling spare parts to flying planes
When Dave Collins finished school he didn’t have ‘the grades or ability’ to pursue his dream of becoming a pilot. Then a half-an-hour trip with a mate changed his life for good.
More detailsGraphic: RFDS Flight Nurse attends dramatic rescue on Christmas Eve
A Christmas to remember
For Flight Nurse Sabrina Montaldo, Christmas will always bring with it memories of a dramatic rescue in the outback. Only five months after commencing with the Service, Sabrina attended a tragic boating accident at Lake Julius for her first aeromedical retrieval.
More detailsGraphic: RFDS (Queensland Section) Pilot Shane Wise
A Wise choice of careers
"I was at a point in my life where I just knew IT consulting was not what I wanted to do anymore, so I thought … how about I do something I have always wanted and become a pilot?"
More details