The Royal Flying Doctor Service Celebrates 90 Years In Australia

CAIRNS, AUSTRALIA - JULY 27: Health Promotion Officer, Judith Taylor speaks about treating snake bites during a Royal Flying Doctor Service Medical field day visit on July 27, 2018 at Dunbar Station in Australia. Dunbar is a 2 million acre cattle station situated in the Gulf of Carpentaria alongside Rutland Plains typically running 20,000 Brahman breeders and employing a number of men and women as ringers, mechanics, fencers and cooks. The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) was established in 1928 by Reverend John Flynn to provide medical aid to regional and remote communities around Australia. From one single plane, the RFDS has expanded to now have a fleet of 69 aircraft and 115 road vehicles operating out of 24 airbases around the country employing over 1500 staff and contractors. With a land mass spanning 7.7 million square kilometres, one third of the population lives in rural and remote Australia, making a healthcare and emergency service vital for those that live, work and travel in the outback. The Federal Government provided a major funding boost earlier in the year, with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announcing $84 million dollars would go to the RFDS for dental and mental health programs as part of the Federal budget in May 2018.