Free Medical Mission by George Ivanoff Page B

It was kind of a scary smile, but a smile nonetheless. ‘Show starts in ten minutes. Your reserved spot is over there.’ She pointed to a place marked by four traffic cones.
    â€˜Glad you’re okay, mate,’ said Pete.
    Sally rushed forward, leaned in through the window and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
    Josh blushed, at a loss for words.
    â€˜Go on,’ grunted Ratchet. ‘Don’t want to miss the start. Get!’
    As the car continued on, Josh heard Ratchet bellowing ‘Allons-y!’
    The drive-in was packed. Locals as well as tourists had turned out to support the RFDS.
    This is going to raise heaps of money , thought Josh.
    The car ground to a halt and he looked over his shoulder into the back. Mum was sitting next to Nate, who was strapped into one of those fancy baby capsules, which did pretty much everything except change stinky nappies. Dad had borrowed the car from a neighbouring farm so they could all come tonight as a family. They couldn’thave strapped his brother into the back of the ute.
    It only took a moment to tune the radio in to the drive-in’s frequency. The ads were already playing, trying to convince viewers to visit the local shops.
    â€˜This is my first time at the drive-in,’ whispered Josh.
    â€˜Long overdue,’ said Dad.
    â€˜I’m glad we made it,’ said Josh.
    â€˜I’m glad you made it,’ said Dad. ‘You had me worried there for a moment.’
    An awkward silence stretched for a few minutes before Dad spoke again, eyes glued to the screen as if he was intently interested in the advertisement for the Coober Pedy Opal Exchange. ‘I’m proud of you, son. Real proud of you.’
    The ad finished.
    An RFDS aeroplane sped across a dirt strip, craggy mountains and desert landscape in the background, and launched into the air straight at the audience.
    It’s different , Josh noticed, from the one I was in . Older-looking. Two propellers.
    But the landscape was familiar. The Australian outback. Sure, a different part of the outback to that which they were in. But it was still their world. Desolate. Isolated. Striking. Beautiful. Home!
    Words filled the screen …
    Â 
    CRAWFORD PRODUCTIONS
presents
THE FLYING DOCTORS
    Â 
    Josh heard applause and cheers from the other cars.
    He smiled and leaned back to enjoy the show.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia (RFDS) began as the dream of the Reverend John Flynn, a minister with the Presbyterian Church. He witnessed the struggle of pioneers living in remote areas with no available medical care. Flynn’s vision was to provide a ‘mantle of safety’ for these people, and on 15 May 1928 his dream became a reality with the opening of the Australian Inland Mission Aerial Medical Service (later renamed the Royal Flying Doctor Service) in Cloncurry, Queensland.
    Over the next few years, the Service began to expand across the country, and by the 1950s was acknowledged by former Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies as ‘perhaps the single greatest contribution to the effective settlement of the far distant country that we have witnessed in our time’.
    Until the 1960s, the RFDS rarely owned its own aircraft. Progressively, the RFDS began to purchase its own aircraft and employ dedicated pilots and engineers.
    Today, the Royal Flying Doctor Service is one of the largest and most comprehensive aeromedical organisations in the world. Using the latest in aviation, medical and communications technology, it delivers extensive health care and 24-houremergency service to those who live, work and travel throughout Australia. The RFDS has a fleet of 66 aircraft operating from 23 bases located across the nation and provides medical assistance to over 290,000 people every year.
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    Did you know? John Flynn, the founder of the RFDS, is pictured on the Australian $20 note!

Whether you’re fundraising in your community or school, holding a fete or doing a