Western Queensland grazier Flynn Noon will run 115 kilometres from Dunkeld to the Royal Flying Doctor Service (Queensland Section) (RFDS) Roma Base on Saturday 3 October to raise funds for the Service that saved his son's life.
The run is Flynn's support of the RFDS Oceans to Outback challenge. Last year he, along with his family and friends as part of Team Fraser, raised more than $32,000 through the fundraiser, and this year he's aiming to go even further.
Queenslanders are encouraged to get behind Flynn by donating to his challenge online, or by coming along to cheer him across the finish line at RFDS Roma Base, where he's expected to arrive between 1:00pm and 2:00pm.
Flynn Noon said every dollar raised helps keep the Flying Doctor in the air and on the ground for families like his.
"If you can chip in, share the page or come down to Roma Base on Saturday arvo, it would mean the world to us," Flynn said.
Oceans to Outback is the RFDS's month-long fundraising challenge, held every October. Participants walk, run or ride a distance of their choosing, either solo, in teams or through their workplace.
Registration is free. ​​Since 2022, more than 66,000 Australians have taken part, raising $13.9 million to help the RFDS deliver emergency and primary health care across rural and remote Australia. Every dollar raised supports the RFDS's commitment to care, no matter the distance.
For the Noon family, the cause is deeply personal.
Flynn and his wife Jessica live with their sons Fraser and Billy on Mulga Belt, a fourth-generation property about 60km south of Mitchell.
In early 2025, just two weeks after Billy was born, then 19-month-old Fraser suffered a life-threatening accident at home. Their internet wouldn't connect calls, so Flynn and Jessica drove Fraser to Mitchell Hospital themselves, singing nursery rhymes the whole way to keep him conscious.
Fraser needed blood urgently, but it wasn't available locally. An RFDS crew, tasked and coordinated by Retrieval Services Queensland, arrived and stabilised him, then flew him to Brisbane for life-saving surgery.
Fraser spent three months in hospital. At Queensland Children's Hospital, the team performed complex reconstruction to give him the best chance of meaningful use of his arm. Occupational therapy and physiotherapy in Brisbane and Roma have since built up his strength, mobility and confidence. He is already showing movement and progress that doctors did not expect for years.
"Seeing Fraser running around the place now, you'd never believe where he was ​​18 months ago," Flynn said.
"Out here, you don't get a second chance at getting help in time. The RFDS gave us that chance, and running to Roma is my way of saying thank you and making sure they're there for the next family."
RFDS (Queensland Section) Board Member The Hon Bruce Scott AM said Flynn's efforts reflected the spirit of the communities the Service was built to support.
"The Noon family's story is one that too many families in the bush know. When something goes wrong, distance and time become the real danger," Mr Scott said.
"Where someone lives should not dictate the care they receive. Distance does not determine who matters, and remote should never mean forgotten."
"Last year Flynn and his mates raised more than $32,000, which is an extraordinary effort. Support like his is how we ensure every Queenslander remains in reach of care. We're proud to welcome him home to Roma Base, and we'd encourage everyone in the region to get behind him," he said.
Flynn will be welcomed through a finish line at the RFDS Roma Base by his family, the RFDS team and community members, alongside Maranoa Regional Council Mayor Wendy Taylor.
Last year, the Noon family also won the Outback Explorer Competition, an initiative run by RFDS (Queensland Section) in partnership with Elders that invited people to share short videos capturing life in regional, rural and remote Queensland.
