More than 90 guests from across Queensland travelled to the outback to join the RFDS Charleville team to honor its 80-year milestone.
The event was set inside Charleville’s old hangar on Thursday 2 November with stunning festoon lights, drinks, canapes, a three-course meal, photo walls of Charleville memorabilia on display and a sunset view of its iconic runway.
Queensland Government representatives, corporate partners, donors, volunteers, locals and RDFS staff were among the crowd to reminisce and share cherished memories of the Flying Doctor.
Established in 1943, the RFDS Charleville Base has played a significant role in the Flying Doctor’s near 100-year history helping hundreds and thousands of people living in regional, rural and remote areas of south-west Queensland.
To celebrate its people, we acknowledged the grandchildren and great grandchildren of Dr Allan Vickers, a man who played a key role in establishing the character and culture of enduring partnerships between the people of Queensland and the RFDS.
We also recognised the 20-year anniversary of two of our RFDS Nurses – Nurse Manager Jo Mahony and Flight Nurse (Midwifery) Diane Dowrick. These two inspiring women have spent two decades delivering the finest care to the furthest corner alongside Charleville’s dedicated team.
We also had the pleasure of welcoming our newest RFDS Ambassador Kylee Tindale-Smith. Kylee is a Charleville local who owns Gidgee Smith Bags and Gidgee’s Bush Camp and uses these two platforms to support RFDS and promote mental health in the region.
Bound by a shared purpose, Kylee shares our passion, while motivating and inspiring others to support the Flying Doctor to deliver better health outcomes for those in the bush.
We invite you to reflect on this magical night by viewing the image gallery below.
