It’s a true legend of the bush that inspired the Reverend John Flynn’s vision to create what eventually became the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
In July 1917, Kimberley stockman Jimmy Darcy suffered severe internal injuries when his horse fell in a cattle stampede, crushing Jimmy. He was placed in a cart for a 12-hour ride over rough tracks to Halls Creek.
Sadly, there was no doctor to help. Local postmaster Fred Tuckett had a first aid certificate so he performed emergency surgery armed with only an ivory-handled pocket knife and morphine, guided by instructions via morse code from Dr Joe Holland, thousands of kilometres away in Perth.
Incredibly, the no-frills surgery was a success, but Jimmy needed further medical attention, so Dr Holland set off on a mercy mission. He boarded a cattle ship which took an agonising week to reach Derby and then spent six days bumping across the Kimberley in a Model T Ford held together by leather straps.
The car broke down 40 kilometres from Halls Creek. Dr Holland made the final leg on horseback at night, arriving at dawn to hear the devastating news that Jimmy had died hours earlier from malaria.
The three men at the centre of that history-making event – Jimmy, the postmaster Fred Tuckett and Dr Holland - could never have imagined that over 100 years later, their ancestors would gather at the Royal Flying Doctor Service WA’s headquarters.
Jimmy Darcy’s niece Jill Campbell, Dr Holland’s granddaughter Julia Geaney and Fred Tuckett’s granddaughter Ann Watts met for the first time in person at the RFDS base in Jandakot.
It was a real ‘pinch me’ moment. It was like a hand from heaven reaching down to connect the generations
Julia
Julia had connected with Jill and Ann online only weeks before, piecing together their shared history through blogs and old letters. At the age of 81, Jill lives at Kybo Station on the Trans-Australian Railway Line east of Rawlinna, so the trio took the chance to meet while she was visiting Perth for medical appointments.
All three women grew up with a strong sense of their family’s connection to the famous story.
“I was so surprised to get the chance to meet Julia and Ann,” said Jill. “We had really only just got in touch so it was incredibly special to meet in person.”
