A squadron of twenty-five vintage planes took to the skies at Dubbo on Wednesday morning, re-enacting the 1928 historic first flight of the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
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The ‘Great Pilgrimage’ 90th anniversary celebration began at the RFDS base at Dubbo airport, with the next stop in Moree, then through Queensland. They will finish in Mt Isa on May, 17.
The morning also marked a number of announcements, donations and funding, which will all go towards the RFDS.
RFDS (SE) South Eastern Section CEO Greg Sam said the day had been amazing and everything had run smoothly.
“We’ve had a lot of support from the (Dubbo) airport and local community,” he said.
Mr Sam said while the Flying Doctor aircraft may have changed in the last 90 years, the role of the RFDS has remained the same.
“The lack of access associated with distance and the geography for rural and remote Australia hasn’t changed and if anything some communities are even less connected,” he said.
“But the role of the RFDS hasn’t changed, we still represent their emergency service, GP, pharmacy and ambulance.”
RFDS board member Joan Treweeke said the Dubbo RFDS was a base with growth.
“Back then 90 years ago, you were providing cutting edge technology to provide the service and we’re still doing that,” she said.
“Our communications systems, the planes we fly.. it’s all modern and innovative equipment and there’s more to come.”
Ms Treweeke said rural and remote Australians can’t live in those areas unless they have assurance that they will have a health care service.
During the morning’s celebration’s visitors heard from a number of RFDS former patients, including Rashid Khan, of Khan’s SUPA IGA, who had first-hand experience of the Flying Doctor almost two decades ago when working in Lightning Ridge.
Mr Khan had a cardiac arrest and the Flying Doctor was called to fly him to Dubbo where he was assessed and then flown to Sydney for surgery.
He has made numerous donations to the RFDS over the past year’s, and on Wednesday Mr Khan made another generous donation $16,000.