RFDS celebrates 25 years of tireless dedication
30 July 2020
5
min read
The Royal Flying Doctor Service (Queensland Section) is celebrating the 25-year anniversary of its Brisbane and Rockhampton bases in 2020, shining a light on the dedicated essential workers who continue to serve the community in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
In its first year of operation in 1995, staff at the RFDS Rockhampton base flew an incredible 532,000 kilometres over 1,685 flying hours. They had just three flight nurses and six pilots at the time.
In the 25 years since, the RFDS Rockhampton base has grown to hold three aircraft and 27 employees committed to the health, safety and wellbeing of those living and working in the region.
As a long-term principal partner, QSuper celebrates the milestones of the RFDS (Queensland Section) and continues to support their flight nurses’ ongoing development, paramount to the organisation’s success.
By investing in essential training for flight nurses, we’re helping to ensure the RFDS continues to provide vital emergency and primary healthcare services for Queenslanders, when they need it most.
A celebration of humble frontline workers
RFDS (Queensland Section) chief executive officer, Meredith Staib, said the anniversary, which fell on July 3, was the perfect opportunity to celebrate the organisation’s humble frontline workers, like flight nurse Hayden Wilson, who make a great difference to rural and remote healthcare in communities across the state.
Mr Wilson, pictured above, understands the incredibly important role the RFDS plays in serving regional communities across Queensland.
On one occasion, he was called to an incident in Alpha, a small town halfway between Longreach and Emerald, where two patients had been involved in a car rollover and the local facility didn’t have a doctor available.
After an hour’s flight, Mr Wilson arrived at the healthcare facility to the relief of the on-site team.
Without Mr Wilson and the swift action of the team at the RFDS Rockhampton base, the patients wouldn’t have been able to receive the medical attention they needed.
RFDS and QSuper are united by a common cause – to protect the wellbeing of Queenslanders. As one of Australia’s oldest and largest super funds, QSuper has been putting members first for more than 100 years.
Our partnership enables the RFDS to continue to deliver its vital services to those who need it most, from Brisbane to Cairns and west to Mount Isa.
