The RFDS in QLD

News

Gail in front of aircraft

From temp to trailblazer

28 Jan 2026

When Gail Hills walked into the Royal Flying Doctor Service (Queensland Section) (RFDS) Townsville Base for a two-week temp job she had no idea it would turn into two decades of dedication, growth and unforgettable moments.

More details
09 Sep 2021

All in a day’s work: Keeping Michael alive

When Dr Charles Ellis wakes up in the morning, he’s never quite sure what the day will hold. One day he got a call that was life or death.

doctor rfds plane
09 Sep 2021

Well that wasn’t on the bucket list

Tim Elleston and his wife were on the road trip of a lifetime through outback Queensland when their trip didn’t quite go to plan.

selfie of tim in townsville
09 Sep 2021

Are they really ok?

Are you aware of how the people around you are really going? Asking ‘Are you OK?’, seems like a simple act, but can be one of the hardest questions to ask. This year, the theme for ‘R U OK?Day’ is ‘Are they really OK? Ask them today’.

RUOK
07 Sep 2021

RFDS encourages people to consider leaving a gift in their Will

Scott McKay is carrying on his great grandfather’s legacy by encouraging people to consider leaving a gift in their Will for the Flying Doctor.

RFDS Gift in Wills
06 Sep 2021

Nine-year-old reunited with workers who saved his life

Joshua Bacon was set into panic mode when his fearless nine year-old son Jake, suffered a heart attack and collapsed unconscious on the soccer field last year.

reunited
02 Sep 2021

COVID-19 safety measures here to stay

Measures put in place by the Royal Flying Doctor Service (Queensland Section) (RFDS) during the COVID-19 pandemic are here to stay, after having created flow-on benefits for the business.

disinfecting medical aircraft
02 Sep 2021

Born to Fly: The journey to become a pilot

At just four days old, Mark Stuart-Russell took his first flight. He was taken home from hospital in his father’s Cessna 170.

Pilot Mark Stuart-Russell
31 Aug 2021

Flight Nurse reunited with baby born onboard aircraft

It was a reunion four years in the making. After giving birth to a little boy in the back of an RFDS aircraft in 2017, Lucy Westcott and her family were reunited with their Flight Nurse Timna Wright.

Flight Nurse reunited with baby born in the sky