Stuart Bonnett has community flowing through his veins.
The Bundaberg based Manager of the Royal Flying Doctor Service (Queensland Section) Community Engagement team has been a long-time advocate for giving back where you can.
Stuart has a background in business development, recruitment and hospitality, areas he says help him to better relate to the people the RFDS comes into contact day in day out.
“I’m passionate about local community and have always prided myself on being involved in things that add to the fabric of the place I live,” Mr Bonnett said.
“I oversee a team that’s spread right across the state, and we all have the same approach to community engagement which is to ensure we not only represent the RFDS brand, but we do so as a partner with those we connect with.
“The Community Engagement team receives many requests each year to attend schools with our full-sized King Air B200 aeromedical simulator, while we also go to careers fairs, community events and anything that helps promote the incredible work our people do across the state.
“In an average year we’ll attend more than 250 events and activities which takes a lot of organising and we’re always planning well in advance to give every community group the best chance of us visiting them.”
Often the Community Engagement team to speak to former RFDS patients and hear how the organisation helped them in their time of need.
For Stuart these are the moments that make it all worthwhile.
“You can be anywhere, and someone will come up to you to thank you for the time you saved them or a family member and it’s a very emotional connection.
“We always make sure we pass on those stories to our front-line teams, so they know just how much their lifesaving work is appreciated.
You can enquire about getting a visit from the RFDS Community Engagement team here
