Flight Nurse reunited with baby born in the sky

Graphic: Flight Nurse reunited with baby born in the sky

Flight Nurse reunited with baby born onboard aircraft

Date published

31 Aug 2021

It was a reunion four years in the making. During a transfer from Cloncurry to Mount Isa in 2017, Lucy Westcott birthed her little boy in the back of an RFDS aircraft!

Angus Westcott birth card

Almost four years later, Lucy was reunited with the Flight Nurse who helped deliver Angus.

It was the first time Lucy, her husband Hugh, and Angus had seen former RFDS Flight Nurse Timna since that very special flight.

Timna, who now works with the RFDS Outback Mental Health team, said working as a flight nurse had been a “pretty amazing” career opportunity.

Hugh and Angus Westcott

And despite the arrival of Angus occurring slightly earlier than planned, just six minutes into what should have been a 12-minute flight, Timna said they were well prepared.

“If babies are going to come, they’ll come! The biggest difference with a flight is that you can’t just pull over to the side of the road. Once you are flying you are committed. Once you close those doors and are up in the air, you’ve got to be prepared for anything.”

Hugh recalls becoming emotional following the birth of his first son.

“It was a very special moment. We are very, very lucky out in the bush that we do have the Flying Doctor.”

Lucy echoed Hugh’s sentiment.

“We are lucky Timna was able to deliver him safely and everything went according to plan.”