The Flying Doctor

Shirley is an avid traveller, and as a single older woman, she does not shy away from 4WD tours in some of the remotest parts of South Australia and Northern Territory.  She was out on a tag-about tour and had been feeling good all day but as the sun went down she collapsed by her camp bed and lay on the ground for a number of hours before she was discovered by fellow campers. ******** Thanks so m...

Dr Mardi Steere has had a long and fascinating career as a doctor, both in Australia and overseas - but she returned some 5 years ago to her hometown of Adelaide, and joined the Royal Flying Doctor Service, where she now plays a vital role in the delivery of both our emergency medical and our primary health care services in South Australia and Northern Territory. In this interview Mardi talks abou...

Dr Katrina Starmer works with our RFDS Queensland team. This is not the first time Katrina has been on the Flying Doctor podcast. Look up episode #5 and you will hear about the time Katrina was sent out to pick up a ranger who had been mauled by a crocodile. Katrina tells of how she was inspired to become a Flying Doctor, years ago, when she was out mustering on a remote property that belonged to...

Had a lovely, relaxed chat with renowned Australian actor, Stephen Peacocke, who plays flight nurse 'Pete Emerson' on the RFDS TV drama. We talk about growing up in regional NSW, mustering cattle by motor-bike on a remote station, becoming an actor, and then his most recent work on set as 'Pete Emerson'. The 'RFDS' TV drama is available on demand, on 7Plus after Series 1 and 2 aired on Channel 7. ...

Over the last two years, as part of the Endemolshine Australia team, Ian Meadows has been the writer, co-creator and co-producer of 'RFDS' the TV drama that has been filmed and aired on Channel 7 (and now available on-demand on 7Plus). The 'RFDS' show has been aired to broad audiences across Australia and to some 14 countries overseas. Ian has never been personally transported by the RFDS, but as...

Juliette has a severe medical condition that impacts her quality of life and makes every day a challenge. She has been transported by the Royal Flying Doctor Service many times -  several of which were for critical care, and her road ahead will always be a rocky one -- but Juliette is optimistic and she has the support of her loving family. ****** Thanks so much for listening to the Flying Doctor...

Back in 2008 Jason was working for Rio Tinto at Jabiru, in the Kakadu National Park in the NT, a full 3 1/2 hours drive from Darwin. He and his wife were living in this remote part of the country when their young son got croup. In this interview we delve into the dramatic story of how his young son was saved, despite storms, a rapidly approaching nightfall, and a toddler who was not breathing well...

Steve Mogridge was driving his work vehicle between townships in country Western Australia when he lost all sensation and control of the left side of this body.  Listen to him recount his story on that highway and how he managed to get to help and save his own life. ***** Thanks so much for listening to the Flying Doctor Podcast. It is lovely to have you along on the journey with us. There has bee...

Philip lives in regional Victoria with his seeing-eye dog Sally. A few years ago Philip had to get laser surgery on his only eye that had partial sight, and needed help to get to the hospital and back again, so the Royal Flying Doctor Service patient transport service assisted him. This podcast interview is a glimpse into the life of someone who lives independently with a disability (and takes on...

Sarah Ward, a busy working mother, was not feeling great and had increasingly bad stomach pains, but kept putting off getting medical advice as she considered she had just overeaten rich food and needed a lie down and time to recover. She didn't want to use the limited health resources in her remote community, feeling they were needed for other people who were actually unwell -- but not realising...

Living in far north Queensland is not for the faint of heart. Emma Jackson lives on Wolverton Station on Cape York Peninsula and in this podcast she talks to what occurred when a guest had a 'widow-maker' heart attack and how her life was saved, and also describes what happened when a large snake tried to eat her son while he was sleeping. ++++ Thanks so much for listening to the Flying Doctor Pod...

Jacinta Jones has been a flight nurse with RFDS Queensland for 17 years and there is little she has not done or experienced. In this episode we get to walk in Jacinta's shoes and learn about the inner workings and 'behind the scenes' of an RFDS flight nurse. learn about the highs, the lows and what she loves about her job. ++++ Thanks so much for listening to the Flying Doctor Podcast. It is lovel...

Greg Keynes was mustering cattle by helicopter in a remote part of Western Australia when he experienced engine failure and shortly after found himself in a crumpled mess at the bottom of a gorge. He had a near-death experience but was luckily found and rescued from his perilous circumstance. ++++ Thanks so much for listening to the Flying Doctor Podcast. It is lovely to have you along on the jour...

Leanne Liddle is an Arrernte woman born and raised in Alice Springs, who tells of growing up in a racist environment, her work as the first Aboriginal policewoman in South Australia, her many touch points with the Flying Doctor, and her current work as one of our RFDS Board members in South Australia/Northern Territory. ++++ Thanks so much for listening to the Flying Doctor Podcast. It is lovely t...

Jon is approaching his 80th birthday and has had a varied career. This podcast talks to Jon’s work at Jigalong, a remote Aboriginal community in Western Australia in the 1970s and his experiences with The Flying Doctor. ++++ Thanks so much for listening to the Flying Doctor Podcast. It is lovely to have you along on the journey with us. There has been some wonderful feedback from listeners and tho...

Opal miner, Richard Hawkins, lives in one of the harshest environments on the planet - Andamooka in remote South Australia. Though he knows well the protocols to prevent deadly dehydration in the extreme desert heat, Richard has learnt some lessons in recent years... ++++ Thanks so much for listening to the Flying Doctor Podcast. It is lovely to have you along on the journey with us. There has bee...

Kayla and Mia tell the story of a road trip where things took an unexpected turn when 7-year-old Mia, who had been warming herself by the fire and waiting for mum to cook dinner, stumbled and to prevent herself falling into the fire, she put her hand into a pot that was sitting on top of the coals. ++++ Thanks so much for listening to the Flying Doctor Podcast. It is lovely to have you along on th...

When Kaysee was a young teen, her mother was diagnosed with a severe genetic lung condition, that without a lung transplant, would kill her. Kaysee tells the story of her amazing, strong and courageous mum. Learn more about how you can register for major organ donation here: https://www.donatelife.gov.au/register-donor-today ++++ Thanks so much for listening to the Flying Doctor Podcast. It is lov...

Sam Shearer is the registered nurse at the NSW Health White Cliffs Clinic, and works with and alongside the RFDS regularly. In this interview Sam talks candidly about the challenges and joys of health provision away from a big city hospital. ++++ Thanks so much for listening to the Flying Doctor Podcast. It is lovely to have you along on the journey with us. There has been some wonderful feedback...

Kate Napier lived on a remote cattle station and was expecting her second child. She was supposed to move into town four weeks early, but life got in the way and a week out from her due date, she went into labour and was more than 150km from the hospital.  The journey of the labour and then the arrival of Lilly was challenging in more ways than one. ++++ Thanks so much for listening to the Flying...

Glen tells the story of his father, Reginald Thompson, who worked as an electrical linesman in regional New South Wales in the 1970's, and suffered a severe accident that impacted him and his family for decades. +++ Thanks so much for listening to the Flying Doctor Podcast. It is lovely to have you along on the journey with us. There has been some wonderful feedback from listeners and those we hav...

19 year old Mack and his mate Josh had been mustering out near Fitzroy Crossing in remote Western Australia when their car rolled and Mack found himself pinned, under the vehicle, with diesel in his face and injuries that should have left him dead. He and his mum Sally tell us the story of how he and Josh were found, and their lives saved. +++ Thanks so much for listening to the Flying Doctor Podc...

Eliza Emmlin used to work as a governess on a remote station in Broken Hill. She now uses her background, skills and understanding of the challenges for 'govvies' to help them and much of the bush community with the RFDS Wellbeing Centre in Broken Hill. +++ Thanks so much for listening to the Flying Doctor Podcast. It is lovely to have you along on the journey with us. There has been some wonderfu...

It is Seniors Week and over the course of this podcast we have visited many key topics related to seniors  -- but one episode in particular has resonated with us and listeners deeply. We revisit that original episode (#8) and also get an update from Scott Chapman, RFDS Victoria CEO, on Memory Lane services. +++ Thanks so much for listening to the Flying Doctor Podcast. It is lovely to have you alo...

Allan Cooney grew up on a cattle station in Queensland and has spent most of his career on the land. Now he is the CEO of Northern Australian Pastoral Company, overseeing cattle breeding and production across 14 stations in NT and Qld and we talk to him about safety, operations and sustainability. +++ Thanks so much for listening to the Flying Doctor Podcast. It is lovely to have you along on the...