Supporters of the Royal Flying Doctor Service have been enthusiastically undertaking the ‘Bondi to Bush’, a fitness challenge designed to break down the divide between city and remote health outcomes.
With the closure of gyms during COVID-19, staying fit became more challenging than ever! Participants in the Bondi to Bush signed up to challenge themselves and build their fitness by walking, running or cycling the distance from Bondi to their choice of remote rural locations including Cobar or Broken Hill over six weeks, tracking their progress on fitness apps.
Kiri Oates, a doctor with the Flying Doctor Service, was excited to sign up. “I find exercise is one of the best ways to combat stress. With the stresses of the pandemic, I’ve found I need to hop on my bike more than ever! Whether virtual rides, commuting or rides out in the bush I’m looking forward to improving my fitness, getting some headspace, and raising money for the Bondi to Bush challenge.”
Anna Wall, from Dorrigo NSW, understands how important the Royal Flying Doctor Service is to regional NSW. “My grandma lived in Dubbo all her life and raised my mum and her family there. She battled cluster headaches, which were not well understood particularly in the 70s and had severe side effects from the heavy medications she was on. She was helped by the Flying Doctor during her long health battle and in 1976 was set to be flown to Sydney again after a stroke, but sadly passed away.”
“Grandma was only 42 when she passed leaving two young kids behind. I have family dotted all around rural NSW and I know this story is just one of many where a family was able to have a loved one come home because of the work the Royal Flying Doctor Service does. I never got to meet my grandma but am blessed to be fit enough to run the kilometres and help families in rural communities get their loved ones home healthy.”
At the time of print, our supporters have raised close to $100,000. If you’d like to boost your fitness whilst raising valuable funds for the Flying Doctor we’d love to have you on board for the 2021 ‘Bondi to Bush’ challenge. Please get in touch at fundraise@rfdsse.org.au
We’d also like to say a very special thank you to everyone who took part, especially during these very unusual circumstances!
