The Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS) celebrated the 20th anniversary of its Townsville Base with many supporters, staff and dignitaries attending the morning tea held on Friday at the Townsville Airport.
RFDS Qld Section CEO Nino Di Marco said the anniversary was a great opportunity to recognise the work of the Flying Doctors in Townsville.
“As part of their enduring legacy of service, the Townsville team provide aeromedical care to close to 2000 patients annually, while flying 3865 kilometres per day or nearly 1.4 million kilometres a year,” Mr Di Marco said.
“They provide a vital link to the state’s north and south and Queensland’s major acute hospital facilities, in Townsville and Brisbane, while assisting patients as far south as Brisbane, north to Mornington Island, west from Mount Isa and all towns and several stations in between,” he said.
In its first year of operation between 1996 and 1997 the Townsville Base had one aircraft and nine staff. Today there are 34 staff and two aircraft (which will soon become three).
Newly appointed RFDS Qld Section chairman Mark Gray said the Townsville fleet will be upgraded in March/April 2017 with the addition of a B350 Beechcraft Super King Air.
“The B350 will be able to fly non-stop from Cairns to Brisbane which will be of great help for the Townsville staff,” Mr Gray said.
Nurse Debbie Schmidt was on the first flight handled by the Townsville Base in 1996 and remains on staff to this day.
“On the first flight we picked up an elderly lady in Mackay. Since then I’ve been to Mackay a further 795 times,” Ms Schmidt said.
Deputy mayor of Townsville Les Walker said the RFDS is an “iconic Australian institution” that has been servicing Australian people since 1928.
“I’d like to thank the RFDS for providing this vital aeromedical service, which helps contribute to the ongoing viability of people living and working in rural and remote Queensland,” Cr Walker said.
Energy Queensland CEO David Smales applauded the RFDS for its “continued commitment to providing isolated Queenslanders with access to essential services they otherwise wouldn’t have available”.
On a national level the RFDS provides the finest care 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to more than 290,000 Australian each year or one person every two minutes.