Greenvale is some 250km north-east of Townsville with nary a medical imaging facility in sight.
So when Dr Katie Williamson from Royal Flying Doctors identified that her 89-year-old patient had a pressing need for this service, an angel answered the call.
On Thursday 7 November, Greenvale octogenarian Judith McKenzie took to the air in a red Beechcraft Bonanza after Angel Flight pilot Rodney Battle answered the call for assistance – ensuring his passenger accessed the Townsville medical facilities before being back home in time afternoon tea.
It was a team effort with Mr Battle’s wife Karen pitching in to drive Ms McKenzie to her appointment.
Ms McKenzie, who relocated from the hustle and bustle of Sydney at the turn of the century, knows all too well that rural life certainly comes with its advantages, but convenient access to medical care is not one of them.
“I love country life, the clean air and the lack of traffic,” Ms McKenzie said.
“My Angel Flight with Rodney was marvelous and I absolutely loved it. I was collected at the airport by Karen who is a darling and it was so good to have someone to take me directly to my appointment.
“It was wonderful to turn such a long trip by road into such a short process. I left the house at 9.15 and was back by 2.15pm.”
While it sounds like a simple process, there is a team of logistics experts at Angel Flight headquarters in Brisbane who spend their days making sure volunteers and passengers get from A to B without a hitch.
About Angel Flight
- Angel Flight has qualified and accredited volunteer drivers, known as Earth Angels, who kindly donate their time and vehicle to help.
- Earth Angels alleviate the great stress felt by many rural people who arrive in a busy city and need to navigate their way to medical appointments.
- Angel Flight has pilots across the country who use their passion for flying to make a difference to rural people in need, donating their time, expertise and aircraft to the cause, accepting reimbursement from Angel Flight for the aviation fuel cost for each mission.
- Health professionals who have a good knowledge of the patient’s medical condition are the only people who can submit a flight request to Angel Flight.
- Health Professionals wishing to refer should register at the website https://www.angelflight.org.au/request-flight/
By the numbers:
- Angel Flight has 4000 qualified and accredited volunteer drivers, aka Earth Angels.
- Of those 4000 Earth Angels, 3500 are pilots.
- Since the inception of the charity in 2003, Angel Flight has helped over 100,000 rural people in need through its free flight and drive service without any support from the government.
