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MAY 16, 2013
FURTHESTCORNER, FINEST CARE
PLUS - INSIDE AN AIRBORNE AMBULANCE
MIRACLE IN THE SKY. P3 • MEDICINE ON THE WING. P6 • STOCKMAN WHO INSPIRED A LEGEND. P10
1928-2013
ROYAL FLYING DOCTOR SERVICE 85th ANNIVERSARY
©2013 Beechcraft Corporation. All rights reserved. Beechcraft and King Air are the registered trademarks of Beechcraft Corporation.
Happy 85th Anniversary to Royal Flying Doctor Service. Dependability and reliability do matter. Beechcraft Corporation wishes the Royal Flying Doctor Service
happy 85th anniversary of bringing the fi nest care to the furthest corners of Australia. At Beechcraft, we
place high priority on dependability and reliability. We congratulate the Royal Flying Doctor Service on their
very important mission—and wish them continued success for many more years.
Beechcraft.com
Flying thousands of feetabove outback WA,Savanna Addis is half an
hour away from serious braindamage, and even death.
With hours until the RoyalFlying Doctor Service planereaches Perth, Dean Boyatzis isforced to operate on her brainmid-flight.
The Kimberley-based flyingdoctor has never done thepainstaking procedure before,let alone mid-air in turbulentweather with the 10-year-old’sworried mother looking on.
With support from aneurosurgeon by satellitephone, Dr Boyatzis carries outthe life-saving treatment threetimes during the flight.
Earlier that day, Savannafractured her skull, causingbleeding on her brain. She needsemergency treatment in Perth.
But events are conspiring toturn what should be an urgentbut routine transfer into a17-hour obstacle race.
More than two years on, DrBoyatzis, Savanna and hermother Helen reunite in thesame aircraft where the dramaunfolded. They recall the daywhen tragedy was avertedagainst the odds.
Savanna was eating breakfastat her parents’ mango farm nearKununurra. It was an excitingtime for Savanna, sister Jamilahand parents Helen and Ralph
Addis who were leaving in a fewdays for a six-month trip aroundAustralia.
Everything changed whenSavanna fell off a chair, strikingher head.
Savanna was born withAlagille syndrome, a geneticdisorder affecting her liver andheart. “She doesn’t tolerateanaesthesia well. She was anunstable patient before we evenstarted,” Mrs Addis explains.
Two hours after her fall,Savanna is in KununurraDistrict Hospital where Dr EricBeltz operates to drain bleedingbetween Savanna’s brain andskull, guided by paediatricsurgeon Sharon Lee via videolink from Perth 2500km away.
“I needed to get blood out ofmy head. So there was one holedrilled and it wasn’t verysuccessful, and there wasanother hole drilled,” Savannasays.
It is believed to have been thefirst operation of its kindperformed in WA using videoconferencing.
The RFDS crew in Derby getsthe call that Savanna needs to beevacuated.
Emergency evacuations fromKununurra are taken to Darwinor Perth but a cyclone overDarwin means planes cannotland.
The RFDS cannot scramble itsonly aeromedical jet in WA,
which can fly from anywhere inthe State to Perth within threehours, because it is undergoingmaintenance.
It comes down to the DerbyRFDS crew to get Savanna toPerth in its single-engineaircraft.
An hour after they set off,Savanna’s conditiondeteriorates as the bleedingcontinues.
Dr Boyatzis tries to call aneurosurgeon for advice but thesatellite phone does not workimmediately because, heexplains, they are not designedto work while moving so fast.
“We finally got through and it
quickly became apparent thatsomething needed to happenthere and then. Waiting wasn’tan option,” he says.
A drain in Savanna’s head hasbecome blocked.
“We probably couldn’t waitanother half an hour. It was thatclose to pressure being too high,to cause permanent disability.”
Dr Boyatzis has neverperformed this procedurebefore. Normally a doctor’s firstattempt is closely supervised bya senior surgeon. “That was a
significant challenge. The risksare death, permanent disability,infection,” he says.
With flight nurse JocelynForbes, Dr Boyatzis opens upthe stitches in Savanna’s head.
“It entailed just opening upthe area, trying to explore andremove the clot. It worked quitewell the first time,” he says.“During the flight we had to doit twice more and then moreblood came out.”
“It was increasingly stressfulwith Savanna’s mum sittingthere watching me do it. It’s notusually what you have to dowhen you do surgery.”
Fearing the blood will keep
building up, Dr Boyatzisdesperately wants to getSavanna to Perth quickly.
Unfortunately that is nothappening.
The pilot needs to land at theCamp Nifty mine site to refuel.But the weather closes in 10minutes before landing and theyare forced to divert to nearbyTelfer, where they discover theonly fuel pump is not working.
“It was just dreadful and therewas nothing you could do,’ MrsAddis says. “Everybody was
doing their best but we were atthe mercy of a broken fuelpump.”
Eventually a break in theweather enabled Capt. NickGallet to fly to Camp Nifty torefuel. It was past midnightwhen Savanna arrived atPrincess Margaret Hospital, 17hours after she hit her head.
Savanna spent weeks inhospital and rehabilitation todeal with the physicalconsequences of her injury.
“I’ve got splints now which Ididn’t have before. I’ve got ahelmet now. I’ve got a hole inmy head now. There’s still skinbut there’s no bone. I can’t feelmy legs or my feet now andthat’s changed. I worry morenow,” she says.
After that dramatic day inFebruary 2011, Savanna raised$7500 for the RFDS and becameone of the faces of Telethon.
“Given the scenario, Savannacouldn’t have been further awayfrom a neurosurgeon anywhereelse in the world. RFDS is theonly way she could get down,”Dr Boyatzis says. More than 8200patients were flown by the RFDSin WA last year, a 39 per centincrease since 2008.
Mrs Addis says Savanna’saccident made her realise howvital the RFDS is in rural WA.
“Families just wouldn’t livethere without the RFDS,” shesays.
Savanna Addiswith mumHelen andDr DeanBoyatzis, whoperformed alife-savingprocedure,right, on anRFDS plane enroute to Perthduring aturbulentflight. Picture:Bill Hatto
Success against the oddsIt took three brain operations to save Savanna Addis’ life during a 17-hourrescue operation from Kununurra to Perth, writes Angela Pownall
The Pedal Wireless is invented and installed at the first radio base station at Cloncurry in Queensland and then all over the outback at remote stations.
Reverend John Flynn establishes the Australian Inland Mission Aerial Medical Service at Cloncurry in Queensland. A De Havilland DH50A is hired from Qantas. Dr Kenyon St Vincent Welch is the first flying doctor.
1928 1929
MAY 16, 2013 3RFDS — CELEBRATING 85 YEARS
‘Everybody was doing their best but we wereat the mercy of a broken fuel pump.’
Message from the PatronHis Excellency Malcolm McCusker, AC CVO QCGovernor of Western Australia
When I talk to people about the Royal FlyingDoctor Service I am always encouraged bythe positive response I receive and it
reminds me just how important this organisationis to the community.
As Patron of the Royal Flying Doctor Service inWestern Australia, it gives me great pleasure to bepart of this publication celebrating the proudhistory of the RFDS in Australia. The RoyalFlying Doctor Service has been serving thecommunity for 85 years since its first flight out ofCloncurry, Queensland in 1928. It has been helpingthe sick and injured and touching the lives of somany ever since, and continues to remain anessential service to this day. It is a lifeline topeople living and working in remote parts of thisvast country, and provides peace of mind to those
travelling across its sizeable interior. It alsodelivers critical support to people who live inurban centres by providing emergency transfer ofpatients between regional and metropolitanhospitals, as well as interstate.
Using the latest in aviation, medical andcommunications technology, the RFDS today isone of the biggest and most comprehensiveaeromedical organisations in the world.
Each year the RFDS responds to the healthneeds of over 270,000 people — that is one personevery two minutes.
The Royal Flying Doctor Service was the resultof Reverend John Flynn’s vision to provide “amantle of safety” in the form of access to qualitymedical care for people in the outback. Itrequired persistence, innovation and drive tobring his vision to fruition and those values arestill very much the cornerstone of theorganisation today.
They also go to the heart of what makes thiscountry great — serving the community andhelping those in need, no matter who you are, nomatter where you are. It is an organisation thatall Australians can be proud of.
I hope this publication gives you some insightinto the important work of the Royal FlyingDoctor Service and its valuable role in thecommunity.
1
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inFlexNabebathRoflimadathMclosmRFweha
His Excellency, Governor Malcolm McCusker.
The Royal Flying Doctor Service is a vital lifeline acrossAustralia’s vast spaces for those in need of medical help
AHst
Don’t miss ourspecial online
series celebrating theRFDS’ 85th anniversary,featuring videos, audioand photo galleriesstarting next week atthewest.com.au
WELCOME
Through NRW’s A safe day. Every day. program, our safest teams are awarded an amount to donate to
a charity of their choice. In 2012, the Royal Flying Doctor Service was presented with donations from
three of our teams. Congratulations to NRW’s winning crews and to the Royal Flying Doctor Service on
85 years of service.
NRW IS A PROUD SUPPORTER OF ROYAL FLYING DOCTOR SERVICE
WOE
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“The Flying Doctor . . . has now become a national enterprise. As these planes fly here and therecross the whole of Australia’s vast spaces they throw the shadow of the Cross — symbol of hopeand salvation — upon the earth . . . all this was conceived in the mind of that great dreamer,John Flynn — ‘Flynn of the Inland’, a name which will be stamped indelibly in the records ofAustralian History.” Albany Advertiser, Monday, May 3, 1937
FEATURES EDITORMark Mallabone, 9482 3574,[email protected] Ben Martin, 9482 3058STAFF WRITERS Angela Pownall,Joseph Catanzaro, GeoffreyThomas, Alex MasseyCOVER PICTURE Roy Morris Photograph: Lee GriffithDESIGN Bree Romet, KellyFitzgerald
ADVERTISINGTerence Tay, 9482 9706,[email protected]
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The Western Australian Section officially registered on June 14, 1936 with the section’s first base opened at Port Hedland on October 10 and the first medical flight made on the opening day.
The first RFDS base at Wyndham was opened. It was later moved to Derby from where it operates today.
1935 1936
MAY 16, 2013 5Fact: There are
785 landing strips across WA.
RFDS — CELEBRATING 85 YEARS
Dealing with sick patients,worried families andemergency medical
evacuations in the most remoteparts of WA does not sound likea scenario where romancewould easily blossom.
But hundreds of hours sharedin the air as part of a RoyalFlying Doctor Service crew didexactly that for Peter and RobynNaglewicz. Capt. Naglewiczbegan work as an RFDS pilotbased in Meekatharra aroundthe same time as his future wifeRobyn joined the service as aflight nurse. Now the couple aremarried and have two youngdaughters. Capt. Naglewicz saidthe isolation of being based inMeekatharra helped bring themcloser together. “Being a verysmall town and working for theRFDS, it was only natural thatwe’d end up flying together. Wehad a good working relationship
and being a smaller place wespent a lot of time socially aswell,” he said.
They would fly together threeor four times a week on RFDSmissions as far north as PortHedland and Exmouth, all overthe Gascoyne region and in theGoldfields. “Meekatharra is oneof those locations that allowedus to see the Gascoyne region,”he said. “Being people who loveto see new places, it wasfantastic. Other than theisolation, it was a great place togain exposure and experience.”
Mrs Naglewicz said they hadboth had to deal with traumaticaccidents and events.
“One of the worst things iswhen young people in thecommunity lose their fingers orpart of their arm. It’s disfiguringand they are young,” she said. “Ireally, really feel for them. I trynot show it on my face but inside
I’m wishing they havepeople around them who canreally support them.”
Capt. Naglewicz said“talking shop” after hourscame with the territory forthem, but it helped both ofthem. “I think havingsomeone in the job whounderstands what we do isimmensely helpful. This iswhere Robyn and I are veryfortunate that we have eachother,” he said.
Married couple Robynand Peter Naglewiczteam up as nurse andpilot in the RFDS.
They include:• 60 doctors • 50 flight nurses • 50 pilots for a 24-hour-a-day,
365-day-a-year service• 20 engineers to maintain the
aircraft fleet• 20 co-ordination centre staff to
organise flights
• 20 primary health care clinicians andeducators
• Plus corporate and administrative staff
If you would like to make a positivedifference every day, why notconsider a career with the RFDS?Send your curriculum vitae and a coverletter to [email protected]
Would you like to make a difference and save lives?The Royal Flying Doctor Service employs 300 staff across WA.
A shared load Having a spouse who understands thestresses helps. Angela Pownall reports.
We are proud to support and partner with the Royal Flying Doctor Service and congratulate them for 85 years of indispensible service.
While fl ying is what they’re known for, health care is what they do best.The RFDS On the Road Program travels via 4WD to deliver health information and training to individuals and groups in regional and remote communities across WA.W
OEN0
090
Squatting inside the crampedinterior of a light aircraft,Roy Morris examines his
patient, a strapping jackarooinjured in a motorcycle accidentin one of the most remote andinhospitable parts of Australia.
Flies buzz irritatingly aroundthe flying doctor’sunconventional consultationroom and there is little room tomove as Dr Morris tends toPhilip Wilkinson, who sitshunched on a small stretcher.
The small Cessna 402 offersthe only privacy and shade outon the airstrip at Rawlinna, asheep station on the Nullarboralmost 400km from Kalgoorlie.
And there are fewer flies inthe cabin than outside, wherethe desert sun beats downrelentlessly and a strong windtakes the red dust airborne.
This is business as usual forDr Morris, the senior medicalofficer at the Royal FlyingDoctor Service in Kalgoorlie,which does a fortnightly GPclinic to remote locations alongthe Trans-Australian Railway toEucla, close to the SouthAustralian border.
“We do it in lots of interestingplaces,” he said. “It could beinside a barn, an aircrafthangar, the plane as just now.We go into people’s homes, thehomesteads and the roadhouses.It’s very varied.”
For people like Mr Wilkinson,72-year-old Rod Campbell whohas shingles and Shae Suttonwho is heavily pregnant, theRoyal Flying Doctor Service is alifeline and a safety net.
Temperatures on theNullarbor reach almost 50C insummer and plunge belowfreezing in winter. It is so farfrom anywhere else that it hasits own, albeit unofficial, timezone. Central Western Time isthe scattered Nullarborcommunity’s compromisebetween WA and SouthAustralian times.
An hour’s flight fromKalgoorlie, Rawlinna Station isDr Morris’ first stop. It is one ofAustralia’s biggest sheepstations at more than onemillion hectares and home to48,000 sheep and 15 staff.
Mr Wilkinson, a jackaroo atRawlinna for the past year,damaged his knee with asuspected torn cartilage andpulled ligaments when he wasmustering sheep on amotorcycle.
“I’ve gone around a bluebushjust trying to get the mob backalong the fence,” he explains. “Iwas watching the sheep morethan anything. I hit a log and it’stwisted my knee.”
Without easy access to ahospital and deciding not to callout the RFDS’ emergency plane,
Mr Wilkinson has waited inpain for 11 days for the RFDS’GP clinic.
Dr Morris tells Mr Wilkinsonhe needs to see an orthopaedicsurgeon in Perth for furthertests and gives him advice and aprescription for pain relief inthe meantime.
Rawlinna Station managerDennis Nash and wife Robynhave lived on the Nullarbor for37 years and brought up twodaughters there.
“The RFDS comes out everyfortnight, so they are a lifeline,”Mrs Nash said. “Without them, Idon’t know what we’d do. It’d bevery isolating and it’d be a longdrive into Kalgoorlie if you haveto go and see a doctor.”
It’s a five-hour drive by dirtroad to Kalgoorlie — a trip MrsNash only makes every two orthree months when she needs ahaircut. For them, the isolationis a benefit not a hardship.
“It doesn’t bother me in theleast,” she said. “I love the peaceand quiet, especially atRawlinna. If you go into thehomestead, it’s an oasis of greenlawns and lovely stonebuildings. It’s very easy to livein Rawlinna and it’s only afive-hour drive to Kalgoorlie,which is really nothing.”
The flying doctors are asmuch a part of life for people onthe Nullarbor as the School ofthe Air and quarterly dry storesdeliveries.
The Royal Flying Doctor Service is best known for its emergencyevacuations. But for the people living on the Nullarbor, itsfortnightly GP clinics are a lifeline. Angela Pownall reports. Pictures: Lee Griffith
The name Flying Doctor Service of Australia is formally adopted.
Dr Jean White is appointed as the first female flying doctor to the Western Australian section
1937 1942
6Fact: There are five bases across WA: Jandakot, Meekatharra,
Port Hedland, Derby and Kalgoorlie, and plans to establish a base in Broome.
MAY 16, 2013RFDS — CELEBRATING 85 YEARS
The Royal Flying Doctor Service lands inEucla.
Roy Morris relaxes.
Dennis and Robyn Nash at Rawlinna Station.
Roy Morris examines jackaroo Philip Wilkinson.
Medicine on the wing
‘The feedback weget is that it’sreally essential.’ — Roy Morris
Continued on page 8
Look insidethe Royal
Flying DoctorService
headquartersand aircraft
Go toflyingdoctor.
org.au/Virtualtour
Or scan thisQR Code
Medical support spans the Pilbara
We’ve all experienced the frustrations of waiting to see a doctor when you’re injured or unwell. Add to that, being 1,200 kilometres from Perth and needing specialist medical care.
For those living in the Pilbara, it’s not always easy to get the specialist medical attention they require, when they need it. Thanks to additional funding from BHP Billiton, the RFDS’ Rural Women’s GP Service in Newman, now has an extra female doctor.
Today, up to 20 people can be seen each day at the medical clinic in the Parnpajinya community near Newman. The service supports Indigenous women living in Newman as well as Indigenous men and children, and operates for three consecutive days each month.
Brett Swayn, Vice President of Health Safety Environment and Community at BHP Billiton Iron Ore is proud of the company’s role in helping to improve health services throughout the Pilbara.
“Additional funding for this partnership will allow a female GP to regularly visit Newman to deliver essential medical services to the local Indigenous community,” he said.
GP boost for Newman
In safe handsIt was Boxing Day 2012 when expectant
mum Louise Boshoff went into labour in
the remote Western Australian town of
Newman. What should have been an exciting
experience was everything but, as her baby
wasn’t due for another two months.
After being assessed by a local doctor, Louise was bundled into a Royal Flying Doctor Service aircraft and flown to Perth in time for medical staff to stop the labour. After a somewhat turbulent start, a healthy, happy Skyla Rose was born at the end of January. Louise was relieved to finally have her new child safely in her arms.
Her happiness was short-lived as two months later Skyla developed a fever and fell ill. The two were about to embark on their second journey to Perth in as many months via the RFDS.
“I have never been so worried in my life. It’s an awful feeling to see your baby so unwell, and not know what is wrong with her. The Port Hedland RFDS team was fantastic. They closely monitored Skyla and took time to explain everything they were doing because they could see how distressed I was.”
Skyla spent a week at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children where it was confirmed she had viral meningitis. She is now fully recovered and back at home in Newman with her family, however her mother Louise will be forever grateful the RFDS could respond so quickly to transport her daughter to Perth to receive urgent medical attention.
Baby Skyla recovering at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children.
“We are proud to work with the RFDS to improve health services throughout the Pilbara, implementing programs that have direct and long-lasting benefits to the community.”
Brett Swayn, Vice President of Health Safety Environment and Community, BHP Billiton Iron Ore
Open 24/7The Port Hedland RFDS base has been operating
for 73 years. A dedicated team of doctors, nurses
and pilots are on call 24 hours a day, seven days
a week ready to respond to emergencies.
A new hangar at Port Hedland, which was sponsored by
BHP Billiton, means the RFDS can respond more quickly to remote
emergency situations. BHP Billiton provided $800,000 towards
the construction of the hangar which was completed last year.
www.bhpbilliton.com
“You have to be organised andbuy in bulk,” Mr Nash said.“Once you’re organised and youknow what you’re going to useover a period of time, it’s noproblem.”
Next stop is Kybo Station,which is the creation and life’swork of Rod and Jill Campbell,and Mr Campbell’s brotherGraeme in the early days, whobuilt the sheep station and theirhome — made of railwaysleepers — from a virgin blockin 1965.
Mr and Mrs Campbell keep6500 sheep on their 308,000hastation, which is an eight-hourdrive from Kalgoorlie, but MrCampbell, now 72, says life inthe outback is not as easy as itused to be.
“It’s getting harder nowespecially since I’ve had thisdebilitating illness, trying tokeep everything going,” he said.“I can see the station’s runningdown. We’ve got to do somethingshortly.”
Mr Campbell is recoveringfrom shingles. He has beenflown to hospital twice by theRoyal Flying Doctor Service —once with pneumonia and lastyear with head injuries after hecame off his motorcycle.
“It’s a marvellous service, nodoubt about it,” he says.
Mrs Campbell, 70, wasdiagnosed with skin cancer thisyear.
“I had to have three weeks ofradiation,” she said. “Even theweather affects you out here.”
But she still loves theNullarbor life.
“It’s a great country, perfect
pastoral country,” she says. “Iwould hate it (living in the city)and would get sick of it. You goin and do what you have to andI’m always glad to get back.”
Not everyone on the Nullarborhas been brought up living onthe plains.
Dr Morris next sees twoyoung women who came toMadura Plains Station for workand new experiences two yearsago and have settled to raisetheir families.
Mel Haines, 25, left theverdant German landscape totravel to Australia where shemet husband Matt, MaduraPlains Station manager.
“It’s green and lush and not ashot in Bavaria, so completelydifferent to here,” she said.
Mrs Haines gave birth to hersecond daughter Kiara threemonths ago. Along withdaughter Sally the couple live onthe remote 708,000ha station.
Mrs Haines says she enjoysthe Nullarbor lifestyle and doesnot worry about what’s going onin the rest of the world.
“We’ve got our littlecommunity and catch up withthe neighbours, who are about atwo-hour drive away, two orthree times a year,” she said.“The kids can play together. Wehave barbecues and casinonights.”
Jillaroo Shae Sutton, 21, isexpecting her first baby withpartner Mike this month. Shehas had monthly and, morerecently, fortnightly check-upsduring her pregnancy by thevisiting flying doctors.
“I think it’ll be good,” shesaid. “There are other little kidsin the community for him to
play with. I’ll just take each dayas it comes, I guess.” Her onlyworry is going into labour earlyat the station.
Dr Morris gives little Kiara acheck-up, weighing her on theHaines’ veranda, and checks MsSutton’s unborn baby with anultrasound scan as she lies ontwo-year-old Sally’s bed. Whilethe public may hear more aboutthe Royal Flying DoctorService’s emergencyevacuations, clinic services arean important part of its work.
Dr Morris and the other fourdoctors at the Kalgoorlie base goout to 11 clinics every month.
Last year, the RFDS saw 542patients in these remote clinicsalong the Trans-AustralianRailway and Eyre highway, a bigincrease on the 333 people seenin 2008. Flying doctors saw morethan 31,300 patients in 2435clinics across WA last year.
“The feedback we get is thatit’s really essential,” Dr Morrissaid. “It’s just because of thetyranny of distance. People herewould be travelling for aday-and-a-half sometimes just toget somewhere where they canget some service. So if we can dosomething to try and help, that’sgood.”
Left: RodCampbell getsmedicalattention atKybo Station.
Below: RoyMorris weighsand measuresthree-month-oldKiara Haines atMadura PlainsStation.
Kybo Station, an eight-hour drive from Kalgoorlie on the Nullarbor, has 6500 sheep.
Right: ShaeSutton and SallyHaines, 2, atMadura PlainsStation.
‘I love the peace and quiet at Rawlinna.’ — Robyn Nash
For a long and lonely 1500kmstretch of the Nullarbor, the first andonly permanent point of medicalhelp is nurse Wendy McGuinness.
She is on 24-hour call at the smallhealth clinic in Eucla, the eastern-most community in WA where some40 people live just 13km from theSouth Australian border.
She never knows what the nextcall-out will entail and who or whatwill come through the door for help,but she says in her three-and-a-halfyears in the job, she’s seen it all.
“I can see 10 to 12 people in a day, then none,” she says. “Eighty percent comes off the highway and highway traffic is increasing all the time,as are caravanners with chronic diseases which are typical of the elderly.
“I’m all there is for 1500km from Norseman to Ceduna. It’s a long way.You name it, I’ve seen it. Everything from a sick dog to heart attacks,strokes and multiple trauma which is common because there are a lot ofrollovers.”
Silver Chain runs the clinic, which closes for eight days every twomonths so Mrs McGuinness can have time off, and is one of 12 remotenursing posts the not-for-profit healthcare provider has in WA. Everyfortnight a Flying Doctor visits to see patients at the clinic.
Mrs McGuinness says she usually helps with two or three emergencyevacuations a month and recent examples include a man who crushed hishand between two boats, a roadhouse worker who burnt her hand in oiland two cyclists knocked off their bikes.
Wendy McGuinness
Sole help for thenext 1500km
From page 6
real watches for real people
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A percentage from each watch sale will be donated to the RFDS to continue their lifesaving work.
Available from:
Watches of Switzerland38 King Street PerthPh (08) 9322 8800
JR Duty Free772 Hay Street PerthPh (08) 9322 2688
Smales Jewellers143 Rokeby Road SubiacoPh (08) 9382 3222
1
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In 1917, in the rough-and-readyreaches of the WA outback, astockman named James Darcy
was thrown from his horse. His could have been just one
more tragic death in the bush, abarely lamented casualty of theharsh and unforgiving outback.
Almost a century on, James“Jimmy” Darcy has been largelyforgotten, but the legacy thatthis simple WA stockmaninadvertently helped inspirestill cuts its way throughoutback skies across the nation.
For the tale of James Darcy issaid to have inspiredPresbyterian minister JohnFlynn, who spread thestockman’s tragic story in thebig cities and the towns in orderto highlight a desperate need formedical care in the Australianoutback.
It was not the single catalyst,but it was an important link in achain of events which led to thecreation of what is known todayas the Royal Flying DoctorService.
Mr Darcy was the first of acast of characters in WA whohelped inspire and make theRFDS a vital institution andmodern-day success story.
Some of those characters, likethe aviatrix Robin ElizabethMiller, are well remembered.
Others are best known not tothe history books but to thepeople whose lives they saved.
The circumstancessurrounding Mr Darcy’s deathwere so extraordinary that theyactually made headlines aroundAustralia in 1917, at a time whenWWI was dominatingnewspaper pages nationally.
Brought into Halls Creek, theyoung stockman was taken tothe only man for hundreds ofkilometres with even a passingknowledge of first aid.
But local postmaster W. J.Tuckett quickly realised MrDarcy’s injuries were internal,and beyond him. Records held inthe Battye Library show he senta telegram to a man of passingacquaintance in Perth, Dr JohnHolland.
Dr Holland, 2280km away,realised Mr Darcy neededsurgery if he was to have achance of survival, and told MrTuckett he would need tooperate.
“Make stab wound one inchdeep, one inch long, half an inchabove pubic bone,” Dr Hollandtold the postmaster viatelegraph.
“OK, can do this if it isabsolutely necessary,” MrTuckett sent back.
Using Morse code, Dr Hollandguided Mr Tuckett through theseven-hour operation, which heperformed perfectly with thetools at his disposal: a razor anda penknife.
On August 9, 1917, Dr Hollandtook passage on a steamer fromFremantle, heading north in anattempt to tend to Mr Darcyafter the successful operation.
On August 22, after anarduous overland journey fromDerby through rough country,he arrived in Halls Creek todiscover the stockman had diedthe day before.
The tragic tale of Mr Darcywas taken up by Rev. Flynn, andused to support his campaign tobring medical care to the remoteAustralian outback. In 1928, Rev.Flynn’s dream finally got off theground, after he established theAustralian Inland MissionAerial Medical Service atCloncurry in Queensland.
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During this decade the RFDS began to buy its own aircraft and employ pilots and engineers. Before that contractors were used.
The RFDS’ first fatal plane crash in the Leopold Ranges in the north of Western Australia. All five people onboard killed.
1956 1960s
10 MAY 16, 2013
Fact: RFDS services an area of 2,500,000 square kilometres in WA,
known as Western Operations.
RFDS — CELEBRATING 85 YEARS
Legacy lives on inthe nation’s skiesCast of characters helped inspire and make RFDS thevital institution it is today, writes Joseph Catanzaro
Robin Miller was known as “the sugar birdlady” to outback children when she wasgiving polio vaccine in sugar lumps.
The telegram sent by Dr Holland in Perth to Mr Tuckettin Halls Creek so he could operate on James Darcy.
‘She (Robin Miller) was just asimple girl who wanted to fly.’
Jan
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Congratulations on 85 years of dedicated service to people in remote areas.
TechnologyOneCorp.comAustralia | New Zealand | South Pacific | Asia | United Kingdom
Freecall 1800 671 978 (within Australia)
+617 3167 7300 (outside Australia)
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The Aircraft Replacement Appeal launched and in the following six years raises $9.5 million to upgrade and modernise all the RFDS planes.
Robin Miller, known as the Sugar Bird Lady, flying sister and pilot, administers Sabin polio vaccine on a sugar cube throughout the north of WA in a Cessna 182.
1967 1990
MAY 16, 2013 11RFDS — CELEBRATING 85 YEARS
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The invention of the pedalwireless in 1929 and its spreadacross outback Australia meantpeople in remote locations couldnow call for medical assistance.
And in 1934, the Victoriansection of what would becomethe RFDS set up shop in theKimberley region of WA.
Jan Ende, now 70, beganflying for the Victorian sectionof the RFDS in 1969.
Since 1966 he had flown withthe WA section, and his olderbrother Don Ende worked withEastern Goldfields section.
Like some echo of Mr Darcy’sfatal accident 49 years earlier,the younger Mr Ende’s first job saw him sent out to help aman injured by a horse near MtHart.
Unlike Mr Darcy, the patientsurvived.
In 1970, Mr Ende met a nursenamed Penny who was helpingthe RFDS with some of its clinicvisits to remote communities inthe Kimberley. Later that year,they married.
Often paired up, theytraversed the outback, bravingstorms and hurricanes,navigating by compass alone inthe pitch darkness where theyhad to, landing on dirt strips litby the uncertain light of flamingdrums.
The couple said lives weresometimes lost in the outback,but many more were saved.
Among the often larger-than-life characters they met was ayoung nurse and pilot by thename of Robin Elizabeth Miller.History remembers her as “the
sugar bird lady”, the name givento her by outback Aboriginalchildren when she wasdelivering the polio vaccine tothem in sugar lumps in the late60s. By 1969, she hadadministered more than 37,000doses of the vaccine and flownmore than 69,000km.
Her life, cut short in 1975when she died of cancer at theage of 35, is all the morepoignant for the good she did.
“We knew Robin well,” MrEnde said. “She was just asimple girl who wanted to fly.”
In 1990, Mr Ende’s olderbrother Don, 52, was killed on acommercial freight run whenhis plane went down just northof Meekatharra.
Three years later, languishingin a farmer’s shed nearMargaret River, Mr and MrsEnde found a little Cessna 180that both the brothers had flownin the service of the RFDS.
They restored it and named itthe Don Ende in honour of theformer RFDS pilot.
Mr Darcy, the sugar bird lady,and Don Ende could not besaved. But in their own way andtheir own time, each of theseWest Australians helped inspireand perpetuate the dream thathas become the RFDS, and indoing so, continue to help savethe lives of others today.
And they, Mr Ende said, werejust a few names in a long andgrowing list of people thatcontinue to make history byproviding sick people in theoutback with a chance at afuture.
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Far left: Theheadstone ofJames Darcy.
This de Havilland DH50A aircraft was used by the Aerial Medical Service at theCloncurry base, Queensland, in 1934. It was a Qantas plane, built by Qantas atLongreach, and named Iris. The plane was equipped with radio by wirelessexpert Alfred Traeger and Maurie Anderson.
Left: DonEnde at thecontrols ofVH-FDK“Colin Yates”.
Jan and Penny Ende met and married through their work with the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Picture: Michael O’Brien
Taken between 1936 and1939, this photo showsthe first plane and firstdoctor-pilot team at thePort Hedland base —pilot Max Campbell, left,and Dr Allan Vickers. Thebase opened in October1935 and the plane is aFox Moth DH83 biplaneVH USJ John Flynn.
Program of flying female doctors to rural and remote locations to cater for all aspects of isolated women’s health.
The Best for the Bush survey undertaken by the RFDS. Ninety four recommendations focusing on specialists services, preventative, early childhood and mental health implemented.
1993 1999
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Fact: RFDS uses about 5.7 million litres of
fuel each year.
RFDS — CELEBRATING 85 YEARS
ThThey are two of the hotrodsof the sky and they carryprecious cargo — the sick
and injured.They are the front line of the
Royal Flying Doctor Service andhelp make up the fourth-largestplane fleet in Australia
The twin-engine Hawker800XP2 and single-enginePilatus PC-12 are truethoroughbreds and themainstays of the WA-basedRFDS fleet that numbers 15planes. Australia-wide the fleetnumbers 61.
According to RFDS WesternOperations’ medical directorStephen Langford, the Hawker800 is the only permanentlyconfigured aeromedical jetanywhere in Australia with the
capacity to carry three stretcherpatients and up to three clinicalstaff at once.
“The jet can fly non-stop fromany location in WesternAustralia to Perth within threehours and it can undertakeinterstate transfers withoutrefuelling stops in mostcircumstances,” Dr Langfordsaid.
“It can also undertake fasterflying doctor retrievals fromoffshore locations, such as theAustralian Territories of Cocosand Christmas Islands, and hasthe advantage of a dedicatedaero medical layout to help ustreat almost any patient.
“Seriously ill babies alsobenefit as this jet can easily loadand carry the specialised
Mansell Neocots used byPrincess Margaret Hospital and,when requested, we will be ableto take babies to specialistmedical care interstate.”
Importantly, the Hawker 800adds to the State’s disasterresponse resources andenhances WA’s capacity torespond quickly and effectivelyto mass casualty incidents. TheHawker 800 traces its origins tothe De Havilland 125 which firstflew in the UK in 1962.
Since then the corporate jethas gone through a host ofimprovements while thelocation of the manufacturerhas changed many times as theaviation industry consolidates.
It is now built in the US.The PC-12 is built by
Swiss-based Pilatus, which wasformed in 1939. Development ofwhat was to become Pilatus’best-selling plane was started in1987, with a first flight on May31, 1991. Pilatus has sold more
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The Royal Flying Doctor Service in WA uses 15state-of-the-art aircraft to respond to emergencies,reports Geoffrey Thomas, Aviation Editor
Rio Tinto will continue to fund The RoyalFlying Doctor Service Life Flight aeromedicaljet service for Western Australia for the nextfour years at a cost of $6 million.
The new funding agreement will take to$11 million the support provided by Rio Tintofor the service.
RFDS chief executive Grahame Marshallsaid “since the jet’s first mission in October2009, the aircraft has flown 2115 hours,evacuating 867 patients, the majority (74 percent) from the more distant Kimberley andPilbara regions.
“Many lives have been saved as a directresult of the Rio Tinto Life Flight,” MrMarshall said.
“The Rio Tinto Life Flight jet has been therealisation of a long-held dream for the RFDSand the statistics alone prove just howimportant it is to continue to provide thisservice to rural and remote WA.
“We have experienced unprecedenteddemand for our services over the last threeyears and the jet has enabled us to respondto urgent cases in the furthest corners of ourState and Australia’s Indian Oceanterritories.”
The jet — a Hawker 800XP2 — has been aboon for residents of the State’s north, with54 per cent of its patients coming from theKimberley region and 20 per cent comingfrom the Pilbara.
According to Mr Marshall, the capacity of
the Rio Tinto Life Flight jet allowed the RFDSto conduct the first double critical caretransfer, where two critically ill patients weretransported at the same time, each with theirown critical care doctor and nurse team.
Rio Tinto president of Pilbara operationsGreg Lilleyman said Rio Tinto was proud tocontinue to be associated with such a vitalservice in remote medical care.
Geoffrey ThomasAviation Editor
Rio tips in $6mfor vital service
‘Many lives have beensaved as a direct result ofthe Rio Tinto Life Flight.’
Grahame Marshall
The aircraft are fitted out with a full range of medical equipment.
The flying lifesaver
‘The jet can fly non-stop from any location in WA to Perthwithin three hours.’ — Dr Stephen Langford
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The impressive cockpit of the Hawker 800 aircraft.
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than 1200 and the plane is still inproduction.
The RFDS Rio Tinto LifeFlight jet service is alsosupported by the WAGovernment which underwritesthe cost of the operation by up to$1 million per year.
The RFDS in Victoria has alsomade a $3 million contribution
towards the purchase of the jet.Locally, the RFDS Flying 1000
fundraising group in WA hasalso raised $750,000 towards thepurchase of all the portablemedical equipment required onboard the aircraft.
In order to modify a plane forits demanding role in the RFDS,it needs to be transformed into a
full flying intensive-care unit. This is a two-stage process
which can cost more than $2 million to complete.
The landing gear needs to bemodified for dirt runways andreinforcements added.
Another challenge is fitting acargo door wide enough to allowfor easy loading and unloading
of stretcher patients. Next is acustom-built stretcher systemwith a hydraulic lifting device toraise and lower patients to andfrom the plane.
The second stage involvesequipping the interior of theaircraft with a full range ofmedical equipment, including adefibrillator, ventilator, oxygen
and suction system, medicalcabinets, monitors andstretchers. A separate medicalbattery must be installed tosupply power to all theequipment. An integratedcommunication panel must beadded to ensure medical staffcan make emergency satellitephone calls while in flight.
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An RFDS Hawker800 aircraft.
Inside the Medevac/Air ambulance
Hawker 800XPCruise Speed: 682km/hrRange: 4732kmCeiling:̀13,666mCapacity: Three stretcherpatients and three clinical staff
Pilatus PC-12Cruise speed: 500 km/hRange: 4149kmCeiling: 9,150 mCapacity: Two stretcher patientsand two clinical staff.
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Volunteer ambulancedriver Mick Lanagan.
A $3.3 million expansion of the Port Hedland base was completed to cope with the population expansion from the mining boom.
2011-2012
14 MAY 16, 2013
Fact: In 2011-12 financial year, RFDS Western Operations aircraft flew 7,619,781km. That’s almost 20
times the distance from Earth to the Moon.
Fact: In 2011-12, the RFDS conducted 2,435 clinics and
saw 31,305 patients.
RFDS — CELEBRATING 85 YEARS MA
Mick Lanagan recalls his firstencounter with the Royal FlyingDoctor Service as if it were
yesterday. The former stockman-turned-volunteer
St John Ambulance driver, then four,watched on in awe as Dr Harold G. Dickslanded his Auster two-seater at CarnegieStation, 350km east of Wiluna, beforetreating the victim of a horse-ridingaccident. From that moment, Mr Lanaganonly wanted to be two things — a doctoror a pilot.
“I never quite got to be a doctor but Idid learn to fly,” the 67-year-old said fromSandfire Roadhouse.
For the past 22 years Mr Lanagan haspatrolled Great Northern Highway fromhis Sandfire base, halfway between PortHedland and Broome, responding toemergency calls 24 hours a day, 365 days ayear. His tales of RFDS heroics stretchfurther than the 600-odd kilometres ofbitumen he presides over.
“God knows how many times I’ve had tocall the flying doctor. They carted methree times when I had disagreements
with horses smarter than myself. I hadfrequent flyer points with them beforeQantas worked it out,” Mr Lanagan said.
“They saved my dad’s life when hesuffered a ruptured ulcer at MyroodahStation (260km east of Broome), theypicked my daughter up once when shehad pregnancy complications and flewher to Perth from Perenjori in theWheatbelt . . . they’ve carted quite a few ofmy family and just countless patientsover the years.”
Mr Lanagan was barely 18 when RFDS“legend of the north” Dr Lawson Holmantalked him through the delivery of a babyat a remote station.
He said the Aboriginal mother had beenrejected by her people because of “tribalreasons”. There was no one else around.
“So I thought, well, I better go have a bitof a look at this, you know, I’ve organisedthe birth of foals and calves, I thought itcan’t be that much different,” he said.“That was done with the aid of walkingback and forward to the flying doctorradio in the middle of the night, cracklingand carrying on, the doctor telling me
what to do. Of course we didn’t have anyproper umbilical clips or any of that stuffso we boiled up a bit of butcher’s stringand used that. It was the Queen’sBirthday so I called the baby Elizabeth.”
An RFDS collection tin at Sandfire hasproduced on average $7000-$10,000 a yearsince Mr Lanagan arrived more than twodecades ago.
“I’ve seen truckies drop a $50 note inthe tin. A lot of people appreciate theRFDS,” he said. “You could not count thenumber of lives they’ve saved.”
For one good Samaritan, the RFDS has always been there,on call to save countless lives. Alex Massey reports.
ThRkeraderefuexan
Tales of heroics
‘I had frequent flyer pointswith them before Qantasworked it out.’ — Ambulancedriver Mick Lanagan
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1950828ϖMHTT160413www.amsaustralia.com
Aerodrome Engineering and DesignAerodrome ConstructionAerodrome Certifi cationAerodrome ManagementSafety InspectionsElectrical Installation and InspectionsAerodrome TrainingAerodrome Relief CoverageAerodrome DraftingAircraft RefuellingSafety ManagementAerodrome MaintenanceLegal ComplianceSecurity Screening and Audits
Your one stop shop for your aerodrome needs
P: 08 9221 6777F: 08 9221 6776
Congratulates the RFDS on their 85th anniversary
Aerodrome Management Services Pty Ltd
The history of the RoyalFlying Doctor service inWA reflects the pioneering
spirit on which our vast Statewas built and which todaycontinues to drive massiveeconomic expansion andpopulation growth.
We are proud of the reputationwe have created over the past 85years and of the special place ourservices and staff occupy in thelives and hearts of regional andremote communities.
From humble beginnings in1928 when the Rev. John Flynnstarted an aeromedical service toprovide a “safety net” for
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MAY 16, 2013 15Fact: In 2011-12 financial year, RFDS flew 8,264 patients in
evacutations, hospital transfers and repatriations, a 39 per cent increase in the past five years.
Fact: The Rio Tinto Life Flight jet also travels to Christmas Island, the Cocos Islands,
Darwin and the Eastern States.
RFDS — CELEBRATING 85 YEARS
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pioneers in outback Queensland,to today’s 61-strong national fleet,including 15 aircraft in WA thatlast year flew 7.7 millionkilometres and carried 8600patients, our core focus hasalways been the same: to deliverlife-saving medical care to peoplein remote areas in times of need.
The challenge for us in WA hasbeen keeping up with the rapidincrease in demand for ourservices as the resource andother sectors fuel populationexpansion in regional hubs andcommunities in the State’s moreremote areas.
Our emergency Statewidetelephone number last yearreceived more than 35,000 callsfor medical assistance andadvice. Never before has thefootprint, and the reach, of theRFDS been bigger across WA.
But to ensure we are able todeliver our life-saving services
wherever and whenever we’reneeded, we have to continuallyexpand our reach and increaseour capabilities.
This year we announced ouraspiration to establish a newRFDS operating base in Broome,which has now become ourbusiest patient hub in the northof the State, with more than 600patients moved to and from thetown last year.
The challenge is to turn thatvision into a reality by securingfunding for this $20 millionproject. We are seeking supportfrom the State Government andour community and corporatepartners.
While the RFDS receives verystrong funding support from theState and Federal Governments,and is extremely appreciative of
corporate support such as therecently announced newfour-year funding sponsorshipby Rio Tinto of our Rio TintoLife Flight Jet, we still remainheavily reliant on communityfundraising efforts to maintainour services.
You are the reason we fly andyou are our motivation forcontinuing, and furtherdeveloping, the entrusted legacyof our past 85 years, ensuringthat we continue to providerelevant and contemporaryservices, and extend ouremergency safety net evenwider as this great State of ourscontinues to develop andprosper.
Grahame MarshallRFDS chief executive of
Western Operations
Grahame MarshallThe challenge for theRFDS in WA is tokeep up with therapid increase indemand as theresource industryfuels populationexpansion in regionaland remote areas
Continuing a finetradition of saving lives
‘We have tocontinuallyexpand ourreach, andincrease ourcapabilities.’
Airfl ite Congratulates the Royal Flying Doctor Service on their 85th Anniversary and are proud to support the RFDS Aircraft Maintenance requirements.Contact Airfl ite for all Aircraft Maintenance needs.T:9478 900026 Newton RoadPerth Airport 6105info@airfl ite.com.au www.airfl ite.com.au19
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Proudly Supports the RFDS
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How to donateIf you would like to help the RoyalFlying Doctor Service, head online toflyingdoctor.org.au or phone 9417 6400
Bronwyn’s story starts with a hole in the heart
The Rio Tinto Life Flight jet - the result of a milestone partnership
between Rio Tinto and the Royal Flying Doctor Service - benefi ts
people all over Western Australia. It means that life saving care is
no more than three hours away.
See what happens next at mystorycontinues.com.au
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