I'm fundraising for the Royal Flying Doctor Service

Australia is a big country, and for those living in remote, rural and regional areas, access to immediate care isn’t a guarantee. For some communities, the nearest hospital is eight hours drive away.

This October, I’m taking on a month-long fitness challenge to help more people access the care they need. By going further, I hope to raise as much as possible for the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS).

Every year, the RFDS reach more than 330,000 Australians with 24-hour emergency retrieval and primary healthcare services. That’s one person every two minutes!

Together, we can keep the Flying Doctor flying and continue their life-saving work. Please donate to my challenge today!

A heartfelt tribute to the people who answered the call, and an invitation to support the Royal Flying Doctor Service

On the morning of 29 November 2025, I took part in a physical training session with our emergency response team at a remote mining site. It was part of our preparation for a three-day course. At the time, it felt like another ordinary morning of training, teamwork and readiness.

When the session finished, I began to feel unwell. I believed a shower in my room would help me recover before I continued with the course. Instead, my condition became much worse. I contacted one of our site Emergency Services Officers and asked them to come to my room.

Shortly after the ESO arrived, I went into full cardiac arrest.

In that moment, everything depended on the people who had trained for the situation nobody ever wants to face. Our site Emergency Services Officers and medical team stepped forward. For approximately 30 minutes, they performed CPR, delivered four defibrillation shocks and provided the emergency care needed to stabilise my condition.

Their response was skilled, calm and determined. More than that, it was deeply human. They stayed with me in the most critical moments of my life and gave me the chance to keep living it. To every ESO and member of the site medical team involved, my gratitude is beyond words. You were the first link in the chain that saved my life.

The lifeline beyond the mine

Once I had been stabilised, the Royal Flying Doctor Service became the next vital link. They flew me from site to Alice Springs for advanced medical treatment. The following day, they flew me to Adelaide so I could receive specialist cardiac care at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

For 30 years, while working across remote sites, I had seen the Royal Flying Doctor Service help others. In November 2025, I experienced that lifesaving work firsthand. When distance stood between me and the treatment I needed, they closed that distance with care, capability and compassion.

Why I Am Asking You to Give

A donation is more than money. It is a way of helping the next patient reach the care they need.

My story began with the rapid response of our site ESOs and medical team, and it continued in the air with the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Together, these people formed a chain of care across a vast and remote distance. Every link mattered. Every decision mattered. Every second mattered.

That is why I am asking our site community to consider making a donation to the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Donations help stand behind the crews who fly into remote locations, the medical professionals who care for patients in transit and the service that connects regional and remote Australians with critical treatment.

For those of us who live and work far from major hospitals, the Royal Flying Doctor Service is not a distant idea. It is reassurance. It is a pathway to care. It is hope arriving when the road ahead feels uncertain.

To the Royal Flying Doctor Service, thank you for being there when I needed you. Thank you for carrying me from isolation toward specialist care. Thank you for the work you continue to do for people across remote Australia.

To everyone who chooses to donate, thank you for turning gratitude into action. Your gift helps support a service that many people may never expect to need, but one day may depend upon completely.

Together, we can help care travel further.

Please consider making a donation to the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

With heartfelt appreciation,

Paul Salter