News

As the Royal Flying Doctor Service flies into its 97th year, several agricultural and mining companies have pledged to double every dollar raised in WA in the lead-up to the service’s milestone.

Five companies have partnered with the RFDS for this year’s Flying Doctor Day on May 15, which Eastern Goldfields RPDS auxiliary president Gemma Abbott said highlights the importance of the service within the community.

“It’s a day of publicising what the REDS do and the importance of what they do, especially in regional and remote areas,” she said.

The mobile clinic provides primary health services to communities and sta-tions, and medical retrieval in areas without access to hospitals. Each day 28 people in WA are retrieved by the RFDS.

Eastern Goldfields RFDS auxiliary will host a 12-hour initiative on Flying Doctor Day in Kalgoorlie-Boulder with raffle tickets up for sale and free giveaways on offer to the community.

The raffle prizes include a trailer-load of wood and a grocery hamper.

Money raised will be doubled by CBH Group, IGO, Roy Hill, Sandfire Resources and Byrnecut until May 15, with the funds to be spent on fitting out the service’s two new PC-12 aircraft.

Ms Abbott encouraged the community to visit the initiative on the day to donate and show their support. She urged people who might be interested in joining the auxiliary to put their hands up.

You can get involved by visiting the RFDS stall outside Coles Kalgoorlie on Thursday, May 15, from 8am to 8pm.