Chest Holder

As an island lover, living in remote Australia there’s nothing more reassuring than having the RFDS at your fingertips! Having to need to use the CHEST is daunting but the team talk you through every step to provide immediate medical support in an emergency! Without the CHEST a lot of patients would have suffered! Thank goodness for RFDS !!

After retirement, I found a yacht which took me and a cat from Cairns to Mooloolaba and back several times, visiting Lizard Island and Cooktown on the way. After 10 years of being a grotty yachtie, I tied up at the Urangan Marina and called it quits. Sold my boat "Opal" and bought a place in Hervey Bay. In order to keep fit, I selected a recumbent trike called a Scorpion FS20 and made many, many enjoyable circuits of Hervey Bay before trying out for the "Tour de Brisbane" in 2023. After fitting a mid-drive motor, I entered the 50km ride in the 2025 Tour, which I won! I can't recommend recumbent trikes highly enough for exercise, touring and mental health!

My story

Would like th share my story of how I wouldn’t possibly be here today to tell my story if it wasn’t for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. It all started with a little back ache which progressively got worse over 48hrs after attending our little nursing post & a telescreen appointment with a specialist in Perth, it was decided I probably had kidney stones & needed to travel to Carnarvon hospital 2.5hrs away for an ultrasound, so hubby bundled me into our vehicle & off we went arriving at about 7pm. The Doctor in Emergency made the call not to wait till the morning for the scan & made a call, 30mins later I was in ultrasound taken back to my bed & Doctor came to inform me that it wasn’t kidney stones to which was great news had heard horror stories on that.... But he stood there & looked at me & his exact words where don’t celebrate yet, it’s much worse, we have ordered the Flying Doctor, you are going to Perth for lifesaving emergency surgery... my world crashed around me... went through every emotion & Garry just looked devastated ultrasound had discovered a twisted bowel, so I was prepped for a scary journey & headed off to Sir Charles Gardner Hospital in Perth for the emergency surgery where I stayed for 10 days now fully recovered. I owe them my life, so now 12 months after a knee replacement I’m ready to give back & join this great cause!

Picked up by RFD Service

I was riding the Mountain Bike Crocodile Trophy, I had a crash on the 9th or 10th day and was huge pain, the Doctors came along and gave me some Pain killers and then some more, as it was 200k one way and something similar (cannot remember) the other nearest Hospital. So the RFDS was called and I was transported to Cairns and Hospital.. the pilot said in instructions and I replied just be gentle, I had a broken my right Scapula and it was extremely painful, the trip in I did not feel the take off or the landing and they stopped off at another place to pick up another patient.. The pilot and staff were incredible

My Grandfather’s Final Flight with the Royal Flying Doctor Service

This cause is incredibly close to my heart. In my grandfather’s final days, we were blessed by the compassion and professionalism of the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS). Living in Richmond, QLD, he needed urgent medical care — the nearest hospital in Townsville was over 5 hours away by road. Time we didn’t have. Thanks to the RFDS, he was able to receive high-quality, patient-centered care during a critical moment. They flew him safely and with dignity, giving him and us, the comfort of knowing he was in the best hands. What stood out wasn’t just the medical expertise - it was the compassion. Their care extended to us as a family. In a time of fear and sadness, we felt supported, heard, and held. That final flight gave us more than just medical help - it gave us peace. It truly is a LIFELINE for people living in rural areas and on properties when the nearest medical help could be hundreds of kms away.