December 22, 2024 • 39 mins
Australia's Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) has stood as a beacon of hope for those living in its most remote and unforgiving regions. Founded in 1928 by Reverend John Flynn, the service was born out of the need to provide critical medical care to isolated communities. Initially known as the Aerial Medical Service, it has grown into one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive aeromedical organisations, covering 7.69 million square kilometres.
The RFDS's impact is profound, delivering essential healthcare, emergency evacuations, and telehealth consultations to areas that would otherwise lack access. Whether reaching a station deep in the Outback or responding to life-threatening accidents far from conventional hospitals, the RFDS remains a lifeline for countless Australians. Its innovation and adaptability have secured its place as a vital part of the nation's heritage.
Join Holly & Matthew as they take to the skies to uncover the history, challenges, and extraordinary feats of the Royal Flying Doctor Service, and the people who keep it airborne.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weird-crap-in-australia--2968350/support.
The RFDS's impact is profound, delivering essential healthcare, emergency evacuations, and telehealth consultations to areas that would otherwise lack access. Whether reaching a station deep in the Outback or responding to life-threatening accidents far from conventional hospitals, the RFDS remains a lifeline for countless Australians. Its innovation and adaptability have secured its place as a vital part of the nation's heritage.
Join Holly & Matthew as they take to the skies to uncover the history, challenges, and extraordinary feats of the Royal Flying Doctor Service, and the people who keep it airborne.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weird-crap-in-australia--2968350/support.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
A strange, spiraling white light was spotted in the early
morning sky over Sydney, with even skeptical witnesses wondering if
it was a UFO. They were last seen on the
beach with a tall man and that's the best description
police have ever had of it.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
More than seventeen years after Harold Holt disappeared into raging
surf at Chevy a Beach, his widow has finally revealed
his last romantic words.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Gocky, terrifying, mesmerizing.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
That's the way a number of Australians have described the
alleged encounter with the YOWI.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
It's time for the Weird Crap in Australia podcast. Welcome to
the weir Crap in Australia Podcast. I'm your host Matthew
sol Joining me, of course, is the researcher Extraordinary Holly
soul Me and it is episode three hundred and forty two.
(00:56):
Not too many more sleeps now before old Saint Nick
comes down. Well, not you chimney. I don't think many
people have chimneys in Australia anymore. Do you think people
have a lot of chimneys?
Speaker 3 (01:07):
I think they've got more drive in than they do chimneys.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Nowadays, Yes, I think it's more electronic air conditioning rather
than chimneys, as I think a lot of cities and
a lot of country towns have moved away from that.
The old wood burning fire though. I'm sure people do
have them, but they certainly don't have them around Christmas
considering how hot it's getting. Today is our first hot
(01:32):
day of summer, which is not too bad, being the
fifteenth of December, and we've only had one thirty degree
day so far here in Canberra. Though for our great
mates around the rest of the country, of course, they
are not doing it as well as we are. I
believe Melbourne and Sydney today are approaching forty degrees, which
(01:55):
is obviously quite warm.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
Western New South Wales, Western Victoria. I'm so sorry for
you guys, but you chose to live there.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
So but you do have our empathy, of course. Well
it's time to jump into part two and the conclusion
to the Flying Doctor's Service. If you recall our previous episode,
we went through the origins with it starting all the
way back around the nineteen thirties with emerging technologies, and
(02:25):
we're going to follow the service as it becomes fully
established after the Great Depression into the modern era, so
without further ado, holly take it away.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
In nineteen thirty two, Flynn married Jene Baird, the secretary
of the Australian Inland Mission, the mother company to the
AMS the Aero Medical Service. Together they worked hard to
share Flynn and Peel's dream with the world. They petitioned
the Australian Federal Government and said government has provided base
funding for the service since nineteen thirty two to the
modern tune of eighty million dollars a year and a
(02:59):
billion dollars over the next ten This funding would last
them until nineteen forty two, but it would only be
the base of the funding they would need to not
only maintain, but to expand to their institution across the country.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Because my understanding is a lot of the doctors who
participate are they paid or are they volunteers?
Speaker 3 (03:17):
They used to be volunteers, they are now paid.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
Right.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
At one point in its history it even operated across
international borders. The Aerial Medical Services originally trying to set
up a chapter in New Guinea. Remember it was in
Australian territory until nineteen seventy five, and thus part of
their purview, but they found that, despite their best efforts,
they could not land and move planes around the mountainous
inland territory the same way they could in the wide
(03:41):
open spaces of Australia because Papua New Guinea, or at
least the New Guinea side of it, is one long
mountain range. Yes, absolutely, helicopters which would make life easier
for the New Guinea chapter to utilize didn't arrive in
Australia until nineteen forty seven. A couple of seaplanes were
hired to attempt the job, but the financials needed to
sustain them and their pilots were too much at the time.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
And we have a quote here. Details of an inter
island flying medical service in the Pacific Ocean which had
to be abandoned for the time at least because of
insufficient finance, were revealed this week by Captain F. C. R. Jacques,
commercial aviation pilot, formerly of Adelaide. The scheme originated in Nemea,
New Caledonia. It was promised to run two seaplanes between
(04:26):
the adjoining islands, and Captain Jack had been assured of
the position of pilot. Captain Jack passed through Adelaide this
week on his way to London with his wife and
four children. After eight years in the Commonwealth trying to
earn a living flying he has flown over the whole
of South Australia and nearly all other parts of the
Commonwealth during the past thirteen months. He has been unable
to earn a penny. He said, for a time he
(04:47):
thought of going to New Guinea, but abandoned that idea
because of the large number of pilots there. Quote from
the Mail Saturday, the sixteenth of July nineteen thirty two,
page three. Why aerial medical service in Pacific fell through.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
Stories of the ams passed through and around the continent
as gossipers want to do. And unlike most Christian Church
sponsored charities in Australia, there has never been an instance
where someone was refused service because they were too poor, gay,
the wrong denomination, a single mother, or the wrong race,
which is something certain Christian charities could take a lesson
in even today.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
Absolutely, I know you've been a little bit, you know,
sticking the screws in there. But one thing we've found
when there have been a lot of royal commissions into charities,
there have been royal commissions into obviously systemic child abuse.
We've talked about that in the past, but there have
been charities found out to have not been supporting the
(05:43):
entirety of the community because they've allowed the religious discrimination
to plaint into it, and I believe that is still
an ongoing challenge to this day, some of the being offenders.
The two biggest offenders in this country is the Saint
Vincent de Paul Society, which is obviously at Christian charity,
and then the second one being the Salvation Army, who
(06:05):
is also tied heavily into the Christian Church. Now that's
not to say that every single member has ill intentions
or every single branch, but there have been some that
have been known to do that.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
You might think that I'm sticking this cruis in just
because of modern times, but this sentiment was also shared
back in the nineteen thirties, and I have a quote
to prove it.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
A message from Darwin this week told the thrilling story
of the aerial medical doctor's race against time to save
the life of a mother at childbirth. His mission was successful,
two lives were saved. Here is further evidence of the
wonderful work of the aerial medical service. Emergency calls such
as this all in a day's work. Almost daily, this
aerial ambulance wings its way through space to some outback
(06:49):
part of the country, carrying with it a message of
comfort and of hope. Somewhere out of the depths of
the great unseen, someone looks down, blesses, encourages, and inspires
the splendid in institution. All it does and all it
stands for. These institutions remind us that the world is
not altogether materialistic. What splendid illustrations they afford of practical Christianity,
(07:11):
that is, service for others. Quote from the Maryborough Chronicle,
White Bay and Bernard Advertiser, Friday of the twenty ninth
of June nineteen thirty four, page six. The Great Aerial
Medical Service the RAAF.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
The Royal Austrian Air Force was founded post World War
One in nineteen twenty one. It was the smallest and
least funded arm of the military forces. By the time
war erupted in the Pacific in nineteen thirty nine, they
had no modern combat aircraft to work with and had
to rely on a lot of civilian aircraft to ship
things in and out of their Pacific encampments and battles.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
If you remember the episodes we did earlier on in
this year, specifically around the Kukota Tract, you'll remember how
we discussed some of the civilian missions that were undertaken
using civilian aircraft. Also, I can't remember specifically the episode,
but we've also talked about other civilian aircraft being used
in military operations in Papua New Guinea. So that has
(08:05):
been something that was pretty consistent in Australia to this day.
Australia really doesn't have a well funded military, and our
military is often let's say, under maintained and has a
slower time moving towards the future. What Australia probably needs
to invest in at the moment is drone technology as
(08:27):
opposed to anything else, because we do have pretty reliable
internet in this country and running high speed drones would
probably at this point be much better than investing in
other technologies. But Australia is, just like our neighbors across
the Tasman, a pretty neutral country when it comes to conflict.
(08:48):
Outside of assisting the US and practically every fucking thing
they do around the world, we generally don't have conflict
with other countries. The reason for that is we rely
on the US for military protection, but we rely on
our Asia Pacific partners for trade. So there's never really
been too much of an inclination to take that forward
(09:12):
to improve on our military because you know, it's much
better for US to remain neutral in the in the world.
And you know, during the nineteen thirties nineteen forties, Australia
were so brand new, and the idea of having an
air force in the first place, that concept was incredibly
brand new because there were so many emerging technologies that
(09:34):
came out of World War Two and Australia we were,
you know, only forty odd years ago, not even a country,
so it makes sense that we didn't really have an
air force.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
The Australian Aerial Medical Services was established as a public,
not for profit company in nineteen thirty four and was
the first established as such in Victoria. Chapters in New
South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, Eastern Victoria and South Australia
were combined together by nineteen thirty tw which created the
country's largest radio and aerial network at the time, beating
(10:05):
out the military by the way. With the Stirrings of
World War II in the later part of nineteen thirty nine.
The AMS was like any other organization in Australia, adapting
to the war effort as best they could. The AMS
was not immune from the effects of World War II,
but they were a lot less damaged by it. The AMS,
who already technically served New Guinea as an Australian territory,
(10:26):
expanded their flights in and around the Pacific theater, dispatching
medical personnel and evacuating soldiers and civilians when needed. Swallowed
into the vast network of soldiers and civilians working to
protect Australian interests. Their roles were only one of many
in the theater, like the trains and boats around the
top end, the planes and doctors of the AMS were
requisitioned into service, though those left behind did what they
(10:49):
could to continue their mission on Australian soil. Of course,
this meant the AMS was on hand to help with
the aftermath of the bombing of Darwin in nineteen forty two.
This was mostly through doctor Clydefen, who was established as
a flying doctor there. In the nineteen thirties, a town
hall attempted to push the AMS in the northern territory
into the hands of the Australian Inland Mission, which would
(11:10):
have made it much harder for those in the territory
defined medical assistance.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
Can you remind me what the Australian Inland Mission was
all about, Holly.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
That's the Presbyterian Church doing what they do when it
comes to churches and missions.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
Yes, we've talked about that as well. When we discussed
the episodes concerning asbestos, we talked about how the missions
and the government at the time were basically conscripting Aborigine
First Nations people into service without very little renumeration for
(11:47):
their efforts. And of course, yes those sort of groups,
we're not particularly inclined to be helping people, as much
as they like to pretend they do, so keeping them
out of those hands was probably the best idea for
the service at the time.
Speaker 3 (12:01):
Doctor Fenton's goodwill around the town was enough to keep
the ams flying there until nineteen forty two, when the
government chose to move the Northern Territori's medical services into
the AIM's territory. Anyway, considering the AMS lost a lot
of their infrastructure with the booming of Darwin, this isn't
a surprise.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
March nineteen thirty four saw the arrival of doctor Clyde
Fenton with his own aircraft. He started an aerial medical
service from Catherine. Was paid sixpence per mile for his aeroplane.
Doctor Fenton loved adventure and took many hair raising rests
in rescuing sick people. There was no radio, so he
flew without it. He told people in the outback that
if they cleared airstrips he would lean in an emergency,
(12:41):
and he did once. When blown, of course, he ran
out of fuel and landed beside a billibong. It took
searching aircraft many days to find him. After three crashes,
he could not afford another aeroplane.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
It's the nineteen thirties. They're not as reliable as now.
It's still funny, but.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
Yes, it is true. In nineteen thirty seven the government
brought an aeroplane, having realized the life seating value of
the service. In May nineteen forty, just as he was
achieving some facilities at Catherine, he joined the RAAF. Another
pilot flew the aircraft and he crashed to Katherine. In
October nineteen forty, an unconscious sister, Dougherty Black, was rescued
(13:19):
but the patient perished when the fuel burst into flame.
Quote from the first Starwin Hospital, Ellen Kettle, nineteen eighty six.
So as you can see by that quote, there was
still a lot of risks at the time, and as
Holly alluded to, aircraft just wasn't to the standard that
it is today, where it is far more reliable than
(13:39):
it has ever been. As Christopher Reeves said in the
nineteen eighty Superman film, flying is still the safest form.
Speaker 3 (13:48):
Of travel, only if you bulletproof.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
It is statistically the safest form of travel.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
I mean there's less to hit in the air, I
guess absolutely. The destruction of the Amsst Tin Darwin, including
pilot mister ida Ashburner's plain, left the AMS shortest staff
able to service the region, and they had to withdraw
from the territory in late nineteen forty two. In the
same year, the AMS changed its name to the Flying
Doctor Service. While this name as a descriptor of the
(14:16):
service was in use in the newspapers for more than
a decade, the official change took place in the new
year to match up with the common use of Flying
Doctor Service over the Aerial Medical Service in the media.
The FDS continued its current network of flights throughout the war,
working on its mission to eradicate polio, measles and other
communicable diseases in the top end throughout the decade, especially
(14:39):
around its home state of Queensland in the area around
Port Moresby as the Australians pushed the Japanese force back.
If you want to go back to the Japanese forces
that we covered, go to episodes one seventy one seventy one,
which is our codebreaker episodes, and episodes two eighty three
to eighty four which was Kakoda. Something they did that
is very undervalued in the modern paperwork is that they
(14:59):
brought news, information and socialization to the people who were
held under radio silence to prevent a northern invasion. Brought
a new kind face to those who saw no one
for months, and of course news to the outside world.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
It is important to remember that that entire state was
just quiet because they had to be, you know, whereas
everyone else around in South Wales, Victoria, Queensland like while
they were still under the same sort of conditions you know,
loose lips and ships, that they at least still had
community to talk to, whereas the guys out in the
(15:33):
Northern Territory and beyond. They weren't allowed to use their radios.
It was meant to be quiet. So yeah, I can
see how at least an occasional face with some news
would be very, very helpful.
Speaker 3 (15:45):
It's also really good for mental health to occasionally see
a human face. This is true with the continual expansion
of the service. More planes were needed, more doctors, pilots
and nurses, more supplies, premises, everything to continue their service.
The d spoke to the government about an assistance in funding,
again at the same time sourcing their funds from the
public and from the Presbyterian Church Bier donations. While this
(16:09):
was undertaken and the funding issues were being sorted out,
mister Treger was working on an update to his radio
system down in Adelaide.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
You may remember mister Treger from the previous episode. He
is the gentleman who came up with the pedal powered rio,
which allowed people to set up radios in isolated communities
that could be powered by simply riding a bicycle next
to it.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
By the nineteen thirties, the use of Morse code was
dying out and it was only a specialized person who
could communicate using it. While the arrival of World War
II would return Morse Code to the skill sets of
a lot of people, those people who were not caught
up in the war were so widely spaced around the
country that it wasn't possible for every radio to have
a Morse Code operated nearby where needed. So Traeger, being
(16:56):
the insatiable inventor that he was, got back to work
on creating something that every person could use.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
Trego created a Morse typewriter keyboard, enabling operators to type
their messages in Morse code. Each set cost thirty three pounds,
not to twenty nine pounds and ten shillings in all,
he built three hundred pedal sets. Later, he designed and
built a simple radio telephony set, which meant that the
outpost stations could communicate by voice instead of Morse code.
(17:25):
Another great advance quote from how Alfred Trego gave the
outback its voice THEFDS dot org dot AU.
Speaker 3 (17:34):
By the nineteen fifties, hundreds of Trager sets were in use,
though sometimes they were not strictly used for their intended purpose.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
Betty Merchant from Ero Manga remembers using one, and she
says they were monumentally beneficial and helping with the isolation
that came with living in the outback. All around they
had what they'd call the glass sessions, and every morning
people would come on and have a yak. People would
share stories or news, what your kids were up to,
and if there was rain, or if somebody had gotten
(18:03):
lost or anything was just general gossip sessions quote from
how Alfred Trager gave the outback its voice.
Speaker 3 (18:10):
With the end of the war came peace in the
region and with that came the resumption of normal services
under the FDS. The slowing of funds to the war
if it meant that a lot more money was available
for domestic use, and the FDS put their hand forward
as a respected and necessary institution to gain their funding.
And of course by nineteen forty seven, the Flying Doctors
were not the only people out there helping the.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
Outback Australias for Flying Doctor Services carried six hundred and
three patients and flew two hundred and eighty nine thousand,
two hundred and thirty nine miles during the last financial year.
This was stated by the Department of Seville Aviation Yesterday.
The largest organization, the Flying Doctor Service, made five hundred
and six flights over one hundred and ninety seven thousand,
(18:53):
one hundred and sixty three miles and carried three hundred
and fifty eight patients. In addition, many patients which at
homesteads and others received medical advice by pedal radio. The
Northern Territory Aerial Medical Service, operated by the Commonwealth Health
Department over an area of three hundred and sixty thousand
square miles from Darwin, made its first flight on August
(19:15):
twenty eight, nineteen forty six, since when it has covered
thirty five thousand, two hundred and sixteen miles and carried
fifty eight patients. The Bush Church Aid Society for Australia
and Tasmania, financed by the Church of England and staffed
by four flying doctors and fourteen nursing sisters, traveled twenty
two thousand, four hundred and twenty miles and carried one
(19:37):
hundred and seventy two patients. Doctor Jeffrey Young, from his
base at Forbes in New South Wales, covered twenty nine thousand,
four hundred and forty miles and treated one thousand, one
hundred patients. Quote from the Age Tuesday, ninth of September
nineteen forty seven, page two flying doctor services.
Speaker 3 (19:54):
Just good on doctor Young because he beat out what
two three of those services for most patients.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
Yeah. Yeah, that dude was a worker, with.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
His legacy secured. Reverend John Flynn died of cancer in
May nineteen fifty one, having seen the fruits of his
labour born by the people he employed to continue on.
His most famous quota has become the mantra of the FDS.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
If you start something worthwhile, nothing can stop it quote
from John flynn biography, RFDS dot org dot au.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
Which is true as he now graces the front of
the Australian twenty dollars note and has since his introduction
in nineteen ninety four.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
Well there you go. I now know who that face
belongs to.
Speaker 3 (20:35):
That's why there's a plane on it.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
Ah, Well there you go.
Speaker 3 (20:38):
Not long after Flynn's death, tregis sets move from just
helping with the isolation of outback living. They were put
to a special use which would later be overtaken by
internet and telephones, but not for another forty years or so.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
Missus Smallwood. The pedal powered radio also greatly improved education.
I can remember one day when he was really excited
because he wanted to show us the school of the
airsets that he had just invented, and they had a
roaring success. It's all that as a huge plus that
the kids of the Outback could have access to some
sort of normal education. That really gave him a buzz.
(21:13):
Despite all of Treger's remarkable achievements, he was an incredibly
humble man. He wasn't proud of it. He was just
something that he did. He was pleased to do, so
he didn't see it as anything particularly wonderful. He just
saw it as an opportunity. Nineteen forty four, Trager was
awarded an Order of the British Empire. As small Wood said,
it was years before he shared the news of the
(21:34):
award with his family. How Alfred Trager gave the Outback
its voice twenty seventh of September twenty nineteen because he
didn't seem to give a shit because he was probably
autistic as fuck.
Speaker 3 (21:45):
Just wanted to sit in his shed with his circuits.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
Yeah, that's why I am very much against the idea.
Like obviously when it comes to some forms of autism,
you know, nonverbal autism, things like that, that there are
barriers for those people. But I've often disagreed with the
sentiment that people with neurodivergencies, Oh, how should I put it?
(22:10):
People see it as a disability. I see it as
a different way of potentially thinking that can result in
really interesting achievements.
Speaker 3 (22:18):
Not a disability. It's a specialization.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
Yes, I don't think that humans evolved with the same brains.
I think that it makes more sense to me that
humans had tribes made up of I don't know an
autistic person who could perhaps problem solve in a different
way than someone who is ADHD, for example, who is
(22:41):
good at pattern recognition, And then you have a neurotypical
person in the tribe who keeps everything together. So it
it's almost like evolution specializes all the time. And why
would it not make sense that we would all have,
you know, different neurodivergencies within the human race in order
to prease our chances of survival. That makes a lot
(23:02):
more sense to me than it being a disability, if
that makes sense.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
In nineteen fifty four, the newly minted Queen Elizabeth I
visited the fds's Broken Hill base and spent about three
hours within the town limits going around meeting the people
and visiting the Flying Doctor's base on the edge of town.
And I actually have a SoundBite here from something she
transmitted over the airwaves. Did you want to hear?
Speaker 1 (23:27):
Go for it?
Speaker 3 (23:28):
At the Flying Doctor Service, the Queen spoke to another
young mother on a remote property and to the world.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
Sincere thanks for the kind words that have just been spoken.
Speaker 2 (23:40):
It put Broken Hill on the world stage, so to speak,
because during the Queen's interview at the Flying Doctor Service,
as it was known then, that was broadcast worldwide, so
the world got to know a Broken Hill.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
She really had an interesting voice.
Speaker 3 (23:56):
You're going to have to try here because I'm the
researcher Jordanaire. I actually managed to find her whole speech,
though sadly not in audio form. For that I haven't
met you.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
Oh good God, My husband and I send to you
who are listening, and indeed to all who live and
work in the great artback of Australia, our sincere thanks
for the kind words that have just been spoken on
your behalf. Any Australians I have met in the United
Kingdom and in Australia since I have been here have
(24:27):
spoken to me with unstinted admiration of you men, women
and children who have made your homes in the bush.
They have told me of your fortitude, your courage, your humor,
and your friendliness, and of the magnificent way in which
you have overcome the problem of living in this region
are vast distances and great loneliness. Now that I have
(24:51):
met some of you and seen from the air something
of the immense and challenging country in which you live,
I know they were right. I own regret is that
my husband and I cannot visit some of you on
your stations and in your homesteads. I am especially glad
to be able to speak to you from the Flying
Doctor Base, where I have heard so much of the
(25:12):
work of the Flying Doctor Service, and of the security
and comfort it brings to every part of the Outback.
I would like to take this opportunity of paying my
tribute to its founder, the late Reverend John Flynn, and
of expressing my admiration to all of those past and
present who contributed to its splendid work. I send you
(25:36):
all my best wishes for your health and happiness. Quote
from the Age of Friday, nineteenth of March nineteen fifty four,
page five. Queen visits the Flying Doctor Base ladies and gentlemen,
my Oscar winning performance. I hope you enjoyed it.
Speaker 3 (25:51):
It kind of killed us for it a little bit.
I could hear it.
Speaker 1 (25:54):
Yes, Well, I think I've been suffering with bronchitis this week,
so this was not the right week to do a high,
high pitched female British accent, though I'm pretty sure I
was just ripping off Monty Python.
Speaker 3 (26:07):
As long as it wasn't Terry Gilliam.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
You find.
Speaker 3 (26:10):
As a result of the visit, Broken Hill became a
well known city around the country, if not the world,
for the Flying Doctors. They were granted permission to use
the term Royal in their name, turning it into the
Royal Flying Doctor Service, which is the name it operates
under today. Using the word Royal in a business name
without express permission of the monarchy is actually illegal, by
the way, in case it implies an association that the
(26:32):
Royal family doesn't want to make. So you can't have
like the Royal Boxing Ring or the Royal Tiger Fighting
Ring or anything, because they will come down on your ass.
Speaker 1 (26:41):
The Royal Weird Crap in Australia podcast. I wonder if
the Royals do their own podcast.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
I'm pretty sure the pr would have a nightmare if
they did.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
I'm actually surprised that they don't, because if you think
about how extensive the royal family is, you could have
one of the lesser royals doing it all the time.
Speaker 3 (26:59):
Well see here's the ques. How royal is royal?
Speaker 1 (27:01):
I mean, look, that is the question. But when it
comes down to it, I think what second third cousins different.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
Interests in Eugene. I think it is the cousins of Harry.
Speaker 1 (27:10):
Yeah, all that sort of stuff. I mean, me and
Markel and Harry were. Is this one thing that actually
shits me off about my fucking industry, and it's because
it's been run by Charlatan's. But it's it's like when
they do these big entertainment deals with those sort of people,
they give them fifty million dollars as a development deal
and then they get nothing out of it. And I've
(27:32):
never understood why people fucking do that.
Speaker 3 (27:34):
Give me the development money, I'll make something out of it.
Speaker 1 (27:37):
You give some people, some very talented creative people, two
million dollars, you end up with a film like Talk
to Me.
Speaker 4 (27:43):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
So it's really upsetting where multimillionaires are being given multimillions
to do nothing.
Speaker 3 (27:49):
And it will always shit me me too. The Moss
Treeger sets were gradually replaced starting in the nineteen sixties
as new technology was developed and shared. The original sets,
which were Morse code generators for a placed with radio
telephone systems that enabled direct voice communication, knocking out the
need for a Morse code operator to use one, which
means that the only people who actually know Morse code
(28:11):
are scouts, navyman and Matthew.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
I can't remember it now. If you were to like
I back in the day, I used to be able
to do it, but I can't do it anymore. It's
been too long, way, way, way too long late.
Speaker 3 (28:23):
I could probably send it, but trying to listen to
the difference in the beeps to receive it, I am
up shit Greek.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
I can say, I still can do that. I can
still do my dots and dashes. That's that's not a
problem at all. I just can't remember with I think
A is dot dash dot, And that's as far as
I'm willing to embarrass myself.
Speaker 3 (28:44):
Sos. That's all I know. That's the entirety of my
morescote knowledge. These radios were replaced in the nineteen eighties
and nineties when satellite phones and mobile phones began to
day their places. In the twenty twenty, the RFDS offers
telehealth communication with their patients as well as Internet based
(29:05):
communication as technology continues to move forward.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
Absolutely, Like even in isolated rural areas where I grew up,
where you know, you've got a population of seven thousand
people and then there are all these outlying properties friends
are well, a good friend of ours and a listener
to the show Gary on his property, they have issues
trying to get internet access. So to this very day
they've been using satellite Internet and that means that you know,
(29:32):
we can all play video games together in the evenings
and have communication. And that's how far things have come forward.
Speaker 3 (29:40):
It's the people who are out in the middle of
literally central Western Australia, that is one person in like
three hundred miles that are seeing a little bit of
a problem with Telstra's connectivity issues.
Speaker 1 (29:52):
Well that's why a lot of them have switched over
to satellite based internet services, because with a satellite based
internet service you can then and you know, once you
have access to the Internet, you have access to communication
you can use internet voice services. You know, it's it's
totally different. The game has completely changed.
Speaker 3 (30:10):
I'm sure I'll cop shit for this, but at least
out in the middle of the outback you don't have
to worry about it raining and knocking out your signal.
Speaker 1 (30:16):
Now you probably will cop shit for that one thing
that like I if I want millions of dollars, the
one thing that I would like to do is get
a little bit more off grid than we are now.
And being a little bit more off grid is possible
with a good battery storage system and solar panel, plus
you know certa a satellite hookup. Like, it's so much
(30:39):
easier to live remotely than it ever has been in
our existence.
Speaker 3 (30:43):
Connectivity issues in the most rule of places does always
offer challenges that the RFDS continues to work on improving
their technology even as they wander back in time fifty
years to remote communities this end, most of them still
have their old radios sitting in the side room just
in case. Along with the radio technology advancements, the equipment
(31:03):
carried in the airplanes of the rfds have evolved over
the decades. Originally, the aircraft carried the doctor, the pilot
and their bag. As planes grew bigger and more spacious,
more equipment was able to travel with the medical staff.
Things like cabinets of medicines, blood pressure machines, and CPR
units made their way in, along with new innovations in
technological supplies such as sterile bandages, hypodermic needles, and other
(31:26):
things you think about when you think ambulance. The rfds's
modern fleet includes aircraft such as the beach Beachcraft king
Air three sixty twin prop planes that are essentially the
airworthy versions of the airplane of the ambulances that service
the terrestrial emergencies.
Speaker 1 (31:42):
Custom cabin The cabins set up with the two stretcher
beds and three seats, which can be used in a
variety of configurations. Aircraft have been modified to replace the
standard passenger door with a large cargo dog who facilitate
patient loading and unloading cockpit. The standard aircraft installation allows
for two pilot staff, however, most operators, including the RFDS,
(32:04):
typically operate the aircraft in single pilot configuration. In addition
to the normal aircraft systems, the aircraft is fitted with
an additional battery to provide medical power. Medical oxygen and
suction system and an intercommunication system between the cockpit and
the medical staff in the cabin basically means that they
can perform surgery should they have to. Yep, staff a
(32:24):
flight nurse is usually on every flight, and in cases
where the patient is seriously ill, the doctor is also present.
Other passengers can include sitting patients, accompanying relatives or specialist
medical staff.
Speaker 3 (32:38):
Now the big question what does this all cost? The
answer is not as much as you might think. The
RFDS isn't even one of the most expensive medical services
in Australia. As of twenty twenty three, the RFDS has
twenty three aerobases around the country, servicing eighty seven aircraft,
including planes and choppers. Almost thirty three thousand patients have
(32:58):
flown in the planes, or more than three hundred and
forty five thousand people have used the RFDS in one
form or another. That's in the last ten years. With
operational cost of about one hundred and eighty million dollars
a year, it's a costing of only about five hundred
dollars per person helped in twenty twenty two to twenty
twenty three. That's less than the cost of an ambulance
which averages a nine hundred dollars call out fee plus
(33:21):
a sense per mile component similar to a taxi. And
the RFDS doesn't build a patient at the end of it,
So this is actually the most cost efficient way of
servicing the outback five hundred dollars a patient.
Speaker 1 (33:33):
Now, just quickly, Holly, before we wrap up the episode.
And I think that's fantastic how subsidized it is. And
I mean a crazy concept, but I think all medicines
should be free and paid for through taxes so that
everyone can get access to good healthcare. But one little
thing that you may have forgotten, Holly, and I want
to take this back to pop culture for a second.
(33:54):
In nineteen eighty six, a television series was created called
The Flying Doctors, obviously inspired by the Flying Doctor Service. Now.
The Flying Doctors follows the lives of a group of
medical professionals working for the Flying Doctor Service in the
remote Australian Outback. They produced two hundred and twenty one
(34:17):
episodes of the soapiek that went from nineteen eighty six
to nineteen ninety two, which is quite a long running
television show now. The show was a huge success in Scandinavia,
Germany and the Netherlands, with fans from the later two
countries starting fan clubs and special events with cast members presence,
(34:37):
very similar to what happened with Skippy and places like
Japan and Reruns of the series are still shown on
networks in Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands to this day.
Speaker 3 (34:48):
Why am I not surprised.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
Ben Mendelssohn. You may have seen him in many films
over the last couple of years.
Speaker 3 (34:57):
Is a scroll, isn't he?
Speaker 1 (34:58):
Yes? He is. He placed t he lost in the
Taylor's in Marvel Mutt Captain Marvel, and in the TV
show Nick Fury. He was also the villain and ready player.
Speaker 3 (35:08):
One Secret Invasion.
Speaker 1 (35:10):
Yes. He appears uncredited in the original mini series as
a child actor and returns grown up playing a bank
teller in the second season. Now there you go, So
there you go.
Speaker 3 (35:19):
It's very started.
Speaker 1 (35:20):
Yes, so there's You could probably do an entire episode
on the Flying Doctor service. But I figured if I
didn't quickly mention the pop culture reference, we would have
a lot of people going you didn't mention the TV
show based on the Flying Doctor Service. So there you go.
Speaker 3 (35:33):
There's also a podcast that's out now that actually people
interview patients of the Flying Doctor Service.
Speaker 1 (35:38):
Oh that's really cool, So.
Speaker 3 (35:40):
You can actually get the real life stories of people
who have had to interact with these guys.
Speaker 1 (35:43):
What's that podcast called Flying Doctors? Awesome? There's a shout
out to the Flying Doctors. Go and have a listen
to their podcast if you'd like to get some first
hand accounts of how the service operates.
Speaker 3 (35:55):
Traveling almost twenty eight million kilometers since its inception, or
as they like to point out, to the moon and
back four times. The RFDS is a cheap and socially
responsible staple of Australia and it's thankfully not going anywhere soon.
Speaker 1 (36:09):
You can also donate to the RFDS as it well
and I couldn't think of a better cause to send
some money towards. Well, that wraps up our two part
I hope that's been informative for you, and of course
a big shout out to all the medical personnel and
pilots who volunteer their time and as well as the
people who continue to support that service. It's fantastic service.
(36:32):
Well that's it from us for another week. But before
we let you go, just a couple of housekeeping things,
don't forget. If you'd like to reach out to us,
maybe you have a story where you are involved with
the Flying Doctor service. We'd love to hear from you.
You can send us a good old fashioned email we
crap in Australia at gmail dot com. I sort of
went into a bit of a Southern twang there for
a second. You can also reach out to us on
(36:53):
social media. Just type in wee crap in Australia into
the search bar of your social media of choice and
we should pop up. If we don't, send us that email,
and we'll set up an account just for you. You
can also help out the show by joining us on
Patreon with the rest of our patrons. You can contribute
to the show and get yourself some goodies gluting out
free episodes and free minisodes released to our Patreon fans exclusively.
(37:18):
You can also check out our book series week Crap
in Australia Well You. One to five are available now
from our great mates over at Impactcomics dot com dot Au.
You live internationally, you can pick that up from Lulu
dot com and if you prefer the digital version, head
over to Amazon for the kindle shop, and last but
not least, you can grab our merchandise from our Red
(37:38):
Bubble and Tea public stores. Just hype in wee crap
in Australia into the search bar and there's our custom.
We give Holly the final words.
Speaker 3 (37:46):
So the Flying Doctor podcast is actually produced by the
Royal Flying Doctor Service, so you actually get official stories
quality and there's one hundred episodes, so those of you
who like real life gory shit go for it.
Speaker 1 (37:57):
Yeah, yeah, you'll probably find some very interesting stories. Thank
you so much for joining us. Please stay safe out there,
be kind to each other. We will see you next
week for more be crap in Australia till then bye
for now. Merry Christmas, yes, Holly absolutely, this is the
last episode before good old Saint Nick comes at bustling
down those chimneys. As I mentioned before, I'd like to
(38:19):
wish all of our listeners a very merry Christmas if
you don't celebrate Christmas, a very happy festive season. Obviously,
a good and great and profitable and fantastic new year.
And let's try and make twenty twenty five better. Let's
try and make it better. Let's settle for better.
Speaker 3 (38:40):
Thanks gentlemen, how was twenty twenty five years ago? What
the hell I'm old?
Speaker 1 (38:47):
Yeah, well, if you think about it, what the year
two thousand was a quarter of a century ago. Yep,
we're getting old. Were getting old. Thanks so much everyone,
Please stay safe on those roads as well. Until we
see you next time. Bye for now.
Speaker 4 (39:05):
Bye.
Speaker 1 (39:19):
The Weird Crap In Australia podcast is produced by Holly
and Matthew Soul for the Modern Meltdown. If you've enjoyed
this podcast, please rate and review on your favorite podcatching app.
A strange, spiraling white light was spotted in the early
morning sky over Sydney, with even skeptical witnesses wondering if
it was a UFO. They were last seen on the
beach with a tall man and that's the best description
police have ever had of it.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
More than seventeen years after Harold Holt disappeared into raging
surf at Chevy a Beach, his widow has finally revealed
his last romantic words.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Gocky, terrifying, mesmerizing.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
That's the way a number of Australians have described the
alleged encounter with the YOWI.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
It's time for the Weird Crap in Australia podcast. Welcome to
the weir Crap in Australia Podcast. I'm your host Matthew
sol Joining me, of course, is the researcher Extraordinary Holly
soul Me and it is episode three hundred and forty two.
(00:56):
Not too many more sleeps now before old Saint Nick
comes down. Well, not you chimney. I don't think many
people have chimneys in Australia anymore. Do you think people
have a lot of chimneys?
Speaker 3 (01:07):
I think they've got more drive in than they do chimneys.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Nowadays, Yes, I think it's more electronic air conditioning rather
than chimneys, as I think a lot of cities and
a lot of country towns have moved away from that.
The old wood burning fire though. I'm sure people do
have them, but they certainly don't have them around Christmas
considering how hot it's getting. Today is our first hot
(01:32):
day of summer, which is not too bad, being the
fifteenth of December, and we've only had one thirty degree
day so far here in Canberra. Though for our great
mates around the rest of the country, of course, they
are not doing it as well as we are. I
believe Melbourne and Sydney today are approaching forty degrees, which
(01:55):
is obviously quite warm.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
Western New South Wales, Western Victoria. I'm so sorry for
you guys, but you chose to live there.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
So but you do have our empathy, of course. Well
it's time to jump into part two and the conclusion
to the Flying Doctor's Service. If you recall our previous episode,
we went through the origins with it starting all the
way back around the nineteen thirties with emerging technologies, and
(02:25):
we're going to follow the service as it becomes fully
established after the Great Depression into the modern era, so
without further ado, holly take it away.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
In nineteen thirty two, Flynn married Jene Baird, the secretary
of the Australian Inland Mission, the mother company to the
AMS the Aero Medical Service. Together they worked hard to
share Flynn and Peel's dream with the world. They petitioned
the Australian Federal Government and said government has provided base
funding for the service since nineteen thirty two to the
modern tune of eighty million dollars a year and a
(02:59):
billion dollars over the next ten This funding would last
them until nineteen forty two, but it would only be
the base of the funding they would need to not
only maintain, but to expand to their institution across the country.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Because my understanding is a lot of the doctors who
participate are they paid or are they volunteers?
Speaker 3 (03:17):
They used to be volunteers, they are now paid.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
Right.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
At one point in its history it even operated across
international borders. The Aerial Medical Services originally trying to set
up a chapter in New Guinea. Remember it was in
Australian territory until nineteen seventy five, and thus part of
their purview, but they found that, despite their best efforts,
they could not land and move planes around the mountainous
inland territory the same way they could in the wide
(03:41):
open spaces of Australia because Papua New Guinea, or at
least the New Guinea side of it, is one long
mountain range. Yes, absolutely, helicopters which would make life easier
for the New Guinea chapter to utilize didn't arrive in
Australia until nineteen forty seven. A couple of seaplanes were
hired to attempt the job, but the financials needed to
sustain them and their pilots were too much at the time.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
And we have a quote here. Details of an inter
island flying medical service in the Pacific Ocean which had
to be abandoned for the time at least because of
insufficient finance, were revealed this week by Captain F. C. R. Jacques,
commercial aviation pilot, formerly of Adelaide. The scheme originated in Nemea,
New Caledonia. It was promised to run two seaplanes between
(04:26):
the adjoining islands, and Captain Jack had been assured of
the position of pilot. Captain Jack passed through Adelaide this
week on his way to London with his wife and
four children. After eight years in the Commonwealth trying to
earn a living flying he has flown over the whole
of South Australia and nearly all other parts of the
Commonwealth during the past thirteen months. He has been unable
to earn a penny. He said, for a time he
(04:47):
thought of going to New Guinea, but abandoned that idea
because of the large number of pilots there. Quote from
the Mail Saturday, the sixteenth of July nineteen thirty two,
page three. Why aerial medical service in Pacific fell through.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
Stories of the ams passed through and around the continent
as gossipers want to do. And unlike most Christian Church
sponsored charities in Australia, there has never been an instance
where someone was refused service because they were too poor, gay,
the wrong denomination, a single mother, or the wrong race,
which is something certain Christian charities could take a lesson
in even today.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
Absolutely, I know you've been a little bit, you know,
sticking the screws in there. But one thing we've found
when there have been a lot of royal commissions into charities,
there have been royal commissions into obviously systemic child abuse.
We've talked about that in the past, but there have
been charities found out to have not been supporting the
(05:43):
entirety of the community because they've allowed the religious discrimination
to plaint into it, and I believe that is still
an ongoing challenge to this day, some of the being offenders.
The two biggest offenders in this country is the Saint
Vincent de Paul Society, which is obviously at Christian charity,
and then the second one being the Salvation Army, who
(06:05):
is also tied heavily into the Christian Church. Now that's
not to say that every single member has ill intentions
or every single branch, but there have been some that
have been known to do that.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
You might think that I'm sticking this cruis in just
because of modern times, but this sentiment was also shared
back in the nineteen thirties, and I have a quote
to prove it.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
A message from Darwin this week told the thrilling story
of the aerial medical doctor's race against time to save
the life of a mother at childbirth. His mission was successful,
two lives were saved. Here is further evidence of the
wonderful work of the aerial medical service. Emergency calls such
as this all in a day's work. Almost daily, this
aerial ambulance wings its way through space to some outback
(06:49):
part of the country, carrying with it a message of
comfort and of hope. Somewhere out of the depths of
the great unseen, someone looks down, blesses, encourages, and inspires
the splendid in institution. All it does and all it
stands for. These institutions remind us that the world is
not altogether materialistic. What splendid illustrations they afford of practical Christianity,
(07:11):
that is, service for others. Quote from the Maryborough Chronicle,
White Bay and Bernard Advertiser, Friday of the twenty ninth
of June nineteen thirty four, page six. The Great Aerial
Medical Service the RAAF.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
The Royal Austrian Air Force was founded post World War
One in nineteen twenty one. It was the smallest and
least funded arm of the military forces. By the time
war erupted in the Pacific in nineteen thirty nine, they
had no modern combat aircraft to work with and had
to rely on a lot of civilian aircraft to ship
things in and out of their Pacific encampments and battles.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
If you remember the episodes we did earlier on in
this year, specifically around the Kukota Tract, you'll remember how
we discussed some of the civilian missions that were undertaken
using civilian aircraft. Also, I can't remember specifically the episode,
but we've also talked about other civilian aircraft being used
in military operations in Papua New Guinea. So that has
(08:05):
been something that was pretty consistent in Australia to this day.
Australia really doesn't have a well funded military, and our
military is often let's say, under maintained and has a
slower time moving towards the future. What Australia probably needs
to invest in at the moment is drone technology as
(08:27):
opposed to anything else, because we do have pretty reliable
internet in this country and running high speed drones would
probably at this point be much better than investing in
other technologies. But Australia is, just like our neighbors across
the Tasman, a pretty neutral country when it comes to conflict.
(08:48):
Outside of assisting the US and practically every fucking thing
they do around the world, we generally don't have conflict
with other countries. The reason for that is we rely
on the US for military protection, but we rely on
our Asia Pacific partners for trade. So there's never really
been too much of an inclination to take that forward
(09:12):
to improve on our military because you know, it's much
better for US to remain neutral in the in the world.
And you know, during the nineteen thirties nineteen forties, Australia
were so brand new, and the idea of having an
air force in the first place, that concept was incredibly
brand new because there were so many emerging technologies that
(09:34):
came out of World War Two and Australia we were,
you know, only forty odd years ago, not even a country,
so it makes sense that we didn't really have an
air force.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
The Australian Aerial Medical Services was established as a public,
not for profit company in nineteen thirty four and was
the first established as such in Victoria. Chapters in New
South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, Eastern Victoria and South Australia
were combined together by nineteen thirty tw which created the
country's largest radio and aerial network at the time, beating
(10:05):
out the military by the way. With the Stirrings of
World War II in the later part of nineteen thirty nine.
The AMS was like any other organization in Australia, adapting
to the war effort as best they could. The AMS
was not immune from the effects of World War II,
but they were a lot less damaged by it. The AMS,
who already technically served New Guinea as an Australian territory,
(10:26):
expanded their flights in and around the Pacific theater, dispatching
medical personnel and evacuating soldiers and civilians when needed. Swallowed
into the vast network of soldiers and civilians working to
protect Australian interests. Their roles were only one of many
in the theater, like the trains and boats around the
top end, the planes and doctors of the AMS were
requisitioned into service, though those left behind did what they
(10:49):
could to continue their mission on Australian soil. Of course,
this meant the AMS was on hand to help with
the aftermath of the bombing of Darwin in nineteen forty two.
This was mostly through doctor Clydefen, who was established as
a flying doctor there. In the nineteen thirties, a town
hall attempted to push the AMS in the northern territory
into the hands of the Australian Inland Mission, which would
(11:10):
have made it much harder for those in the territory
defined medical assistance.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
Can you remind me what the Australian Inland Mission was
all about, Holly.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
That's the Presbyterian Church doing what they do when it
comes to churches and missions.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
Yes, we've talked about that as well. When we discussed
the episodes concerning asbestos, we talked about how the missions
and the government at the time were basically conscripting Aborigine
First Nations people into service without very little renumeration for
(11:47):
their efforts. And of course, yes those sort of groups,
we're not particularly inclined to be helping people, as much
as they like to pretend they do, so keeping them
out of those hands was probably the best idea for
the service at the time.
Speaker 3 (12:01):
Doctor Fenton's goodwill around the town was enough to keep
the ams flying there until nineteen forty two, when the
government chose to move the Northern Territori's medical services into
the AIM's territory. Anyway, considering the AMS lost a lot
of their infrastructure with the booming of Darwin, this isn't
a surprise.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
March nineteen thirty four saw the arrival of doctor Clyde
Fenton with his own aircraft. He started an aerial medical
service from Catherine. Was paid sixpence per mile for his aeroplane.
Doctor Fenton loved adventure and took many hair raising rests
in rescuing sick people. There was no radio, so he
flew without it. He told people in the outback that
if they cleared airstrips he would lean in an emergency,
(12:41):
and he did once. When blown, of course, he ran
out of fuel and landed beside a billibong. It took
searching aircraft many days to find him. After three crashes,
he could not afford another aeroplane.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
It's the nineteen thirties. They're not as reliable as now.
It's still funny, but.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
Yes, it is true. In nineteen thirty seven the government
brought an aeroplane, having realized the life seating value of
the service. In May nineteen forty, just as he was
achieving some facilities at Catherine, he joined the RAAF. Another
pilot flew the aircraft and he crashed to Katherine. In
October nineteen forty, an unconscious sister, Dougherty Black, was rescued
(13:19):
but the patient perished when the fuel burst into flame.
Quote from the first Starwin Hospital, Ellen Kettle, nineteen eighty six.
So as you can see by that quote, there was
still a lot of risks at the time, and as
Holly alluded to, aircraft just wasn't to the standard that
it is today, where it is far more reliable than
(13:39):
it has ever been. As Christopher Reeves said in the
nineteen eighty Superman film, flying is still the safest form.
Speaker 3 (13:48):
Of travel, only if you bulletproof.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
It is statistically the safest form of travel.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
I mean there's less to hit in the air, I
guess absolutely. The destruction of the Amsst Tin Darwin, including
pilot mister ida Ashburner's plain, left the AMS shortest staff
able to service the region, and they had to withdraw
from the territory in late nineteen forty two. In the
same year, the AMS changed its name to the Flying
Doctor Service. While this name as a descriptor of the
(14:16):
service was in use in the newspapers for more than
a decade, the official change took place in the new
year to match up with the common use of Flying
Doctor Service over the Aerial Medical Service in the media.
The FDS continued its current network of flights throughout the war,
working on its mission to eradicate polio, measles and other
communicable diseases in the top end throughout the decade, especially
(14:39):
around its home state of Queensland in the area around
Port Moresby as the Australians pushed the Japanese force back.
If you want to go back to the Japanese forces
that we covered, go to episodes one seventy one seventy one,
which is our codebreaker episodes, and episodes two eighty three
to eighty four which was Kakoda. Something they did that
is very undervalued in the modern paperwork is that they
(14:59):
brought news, information and socialization to the people who were
held under radio silence to prevent a northern invasion. Brought
a new kind face to those who saw no one
for months, and of course news to the outside world.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
It is important to remember that that entire state was
just quiet because they had to be, you know, whereas
everyone else around in South Wales, Victoria, Queensland like while
they were still under the same sort of conditions you know,
loose lips and ships, that they at least still had
community to talk to, whereas the guys out in the
(15:33):
Northern Territory and beyond. They weren't allowed to use their radios.
It was meant to be quiet. So yeah, I can
see how at least an occasional face with some news
would be very, very helpful.
Speaker 3 (15:45):
It's also really good for mental health to occasionally see
a human face. This is true with the continual expansion
of the service. More planes were needed, more doctors, pilots
and nurses, more supplies, premises, everything to continue their service.
The d spoke to the government about an assistance in funding,
again at the same time sourcing their funds from the
public and from the Presbyterian Church Bier donations. While this
(16:09):
was undertaken and the funding issues were being sorted out,
mister Treger was working on an update to his radio
system down in Adelaide.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
You may remember mister Treger from the previous episode. He
is the gentleman who came up with the pedal powered rio,
which allowed people to set up radios in isolated communities
that could be powered by simply riding a bicycle next
to it.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
By the nineteen thirties, the use of Morse code was
dying out and it was only a specialized person who
could communicate using it. While the arrival of World War
II would return Morse Code to the skill sets of
a lot of people, those people who were not caught
up in the war were so widely spaced around the
country that it wasn't possible for every radio to have
a Morse Code operated nearby where needed. So Traeger, being
(16:56):
the insatiable inventor that he was, got back to work
on creating something that every person could use.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
Trego created a Morse typewriter keyboard, enabling operators to type
their messages in Morse code. Each set cost thirty three pounds,
not to twenty nine pounds and ten shillings in all,
he built three hundred pedal sets. Later, he designed and
built a simple radio telephony set, which meant that the
outpost stations could communicate by voice instead of Morse code.
(17:25):
Another great advance quote from how Alfred Trego gave the
outback its voice THEFDS dot org dot AU.
Speaker 3 (17:34):
By the nineteen fifties, hundreds of Trager sets were in use,
though sometimes they were not strictly used for their intended purpose.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
Betty Merchant from Ero Manga remembers using one, and she
says they were monumentally beneficial and helping with the isolation
that came with living in the outback. All around they
had what they'd call the glass sessions, and every morning
people would come on and have a yak. People would
share stories or news, what your kids were up to,
and if there was rain, or if somebody had gotten
(18:03):
lost or anything was just general gossip sessions quote from
how Alfred Trager gave the outback its voice.
Speaker 3 (18:10):
With the end of the war came peace in the
region and with that came the resumption of normal services
under the FDS. The slowing of funds to the war
if it meant that a lot more money was available
for domestic use, and the FDS put their hand forward
as a respected and necessary institution to gain their funding.
And of course by nineteen forty seven, the Flying Doctors
were not the only people out there helping the.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
Outback Australias for Flying Doctor Services carried six hundred and
three patients and flew two hundred and eighty nine thousand,
two hundred and thirty nine miles during the last financial year.
This was stated by the Department of Seville Aviation Yesterday.
The largest organization, the Flying Doctor Service, made five hundred
and six flights over one hundred and ninety seven thousand,
(18:53):
one hundred and sixty three miles and carried three hundred
and fifty eight patients. In addition, many patients which at
homesteads and others received medical advice by pedal radio. The
Northern Territory Aerial Medical Service, operated by the Commonwealth Health
Department over an area of three hundred and sixty thousand
square miles from Darwin, made its first flight on August
(19:15):
twenty eight, nineteen forty six, since when it has covered
thirty five thousand, two hundred and sixteen miles and carried
fifty eight patients. The Bush Church Aid Society for Australia
and Tasmania, financed by the Church of England and staffed
by four flying doctors and fourteen nursing sisters, traveled twenty
two thousand, four hundred and twenty miles and carried one
(19:37):
hundred and seventy two patients. Doctor Jeffrey Young, from his
base at Forbes in New South Wales, covered twenty nine thousand,
four hundred and forty miles and treated one thousand, one
hundred patients. Quote from the Age Tuesday, ninth of September
nineteen forty seven, page two flying doctor services.
Speaker 3 (19:54):
Just good on doctor Young because he beat out what
two three of those services for most patients.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
Yeah. Yeah, that dude was a worker, with.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
His legacy secured. Reverend John Flynn died of cancer in
May nineteen fifty one, having seen the fruits of his
labour born by the people he employed to continue on.
His most famous quota has become the mantra of the FDS.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
If you start something worthwhile, nothing can stop it quote
from John flynn biography, RFDS dot org dot au.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
Which is true as he now graces the front of
the Australian twenty dollars note and has since his introduction
in nineteen ninety four.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
Well there you go. I now know who that face
belongs to.
Speaker 3 (20:35):
That's why there's a plane on it.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
Ah, Well there you go.
Speaker 3 (20:38):
Not long after Flynn's death, tregis sets move from just
helping with the isolation of outback living. They were put
to a special use which would later be overtaken by
internet and telephones, but not for another forty years or so.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
Missus Smallwood. The pedal powered radio also greatly improved education.
I can remember one day when he was really excited
because he wanted to show us the school of the
airsets that he had just invented, and they had a
roaring success. It's all that as a huge plus that
the kids of the Outback could have access to some
sort of normal education. That really gave him a buzz.
(21:13):
Despite all of Treger's remarkable achievements, he was an incredibly
humble man. He wasn't proud of it. He was just
something that he did. He was pleased to do, so
he didn't see it as anything particularly wonderful. He just
saw it as an opportunity. Nineteen forty four, Trager was
awarded an Order of the British Empire. As small Wood said,
it was years before he shared the news of the
(21:34):
award with his family. How Alfred Trager gave the Outback
its voice twenty seventh of September twenty nineteen because he
didn't seem to give a shit because he was probably
autistic as fuck.
Speaker 3 (21:45):
Just wanted to sit in his shed with his circuits.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
Yeah, that's why I am very much against the idea.
Like obviously when it comes to some forms of autism,
you know, nonverbal autism, things like that, that there are
barriers for those people. But I've often disagreed with the
sentiment that people with neurodivergencies, Oh, how should I put it?
(22:10):
People see it as a disability. I see it as
a different way of potentially thinking that can result in
really interesting achievements.
Speaker 3 (22:18):
Not a disability. It's a specialization.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
Yes, I don't think that humans evolved with the same brains.
I think that it makes more sense to me that
humans had tribes made up of I don't know an
autistic person who could perhaps problem solve in a different
way than someone who is ADHD, for example, who is
(22:41):
good at pattern recognition, And then you have a neurotypical
person in the tribe who keeps everything together. So it
it's almost like evolution specializes all the time. And why
would it not make sense that we would all have,
you know, different neurodivergencies within the human race in order
to prease our chances of survival. That makes a lot
(23:02):
more sense to me than it being a disability, if
that makes sense.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
In nineteen fifty four, the newly minted Queen Elizabeth I
visited the fds's Broken Hill base and spent about three
hours within the town limits going around meeting the people
and visiting the Flying Doctor's base on the edge of town.
And I actually have a SoundBite here from something she
transmitted over the airwaves. Did you want to hear?
Speaker 1 (23:27):
Go for it?
Speaker 3 (23:28):
At the Flying Doctor Service, the Queen spoke to another
young mother on a remote property and to the world.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
Sincere thanks for the kind words that have just been spoken.
Speaker 2 (23:40):
It put Broken Hill on the world stage, so to speak,
because during the Queen's interview at the Flying Doctor Service,
as it was known then, that was broadcast worldwide, so
the world got to know a Broken Hill.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
She really had an interesting voice.
Speaker 3 (23:56):
You're going to have to try here because I'm the
researcher Jordanaire. I actually managed to find her whole speech,
though sadly not in audio form. For that I haven't
met you.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
Oh good God, My husband and I send to you
who are listening, and indeed to all who live and
work in the great artback of Australia, our sincere thanks
for the kind words that have just been spoken on
your behalf. Any Australians I have met in the United
Kingdom and in Australia since I have been here have
(24:27):
spoken to me with unstinted admiration of you men, women
and children who have made your homes in the bush.
They have told me of your fortitude, your courage, your humor,
and your friendliness, and of the magnificent way in which
you have overcome the problem of living in this region
are vast distances and great loneliness. Now that I have
(24:51):
met some of you and seen from the air something
of the immense and challenging country in which you live,
I know they were right. I own regret is that
my husband and I cannot visit some of you on
your stations and in your homesteads. I am especially glad
to be able to speak to you from the Flying
Doctor Base, where I have heard so much of the
(25:12):
work of the Flying Doctor Service, and of the security
and comfort it brings to every part of the Outback.
I would like to take this opportunity of paying my
tribute to its founder, the late Reverend John Flynn, and
of expressing my admiration to all of those past and
present who contributed to its splendid work. I send you
(25:36):
all my best wishes for your health and happiness. Quote
from the Age of Friday, nineteenth of March nineteen fifty four,
page five. Queen visits the Flying Doctor Base ladies and gentlemen,
my Oscar winning performance. I hope you enjoyed it.
Speaker 3 (25:51):
It kind of killed us for it a little bit.
I could hear it.
Speaker 1 (25:54):
Yes, Well, I think I've been suffering with bronchitis this week,
so this was not the right week to do a high,
high pitched female British accent, though I'm pretty sure I
was just ripping off Monty Python.
Speaker 3 (26:07):
As long as it wasn't Terry Gilliam.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
You find.
Speaker 3 (26:10):
As a result of the visit, Broken Hill became a
well known city around the country, if not the world,
for the Flying Doctors. They were granted permission to use
the term Royal in their name, turning it into the
Royal Flying Doctor Service, which is the name it operates
under today. Using the word Royal in a business name
without express permission of the monarchy is actually illegal, by
the way, in case it implies an association that the
(26:32):
Royal family doesn't want to make. So you can't have
like the Royal Boxing Ring or the Royal Tiger Fighting
Ring or anything, because they will come down on your ass.
Speaker 1 (26:41):
The Royal Weird Crap in Australia podcast. I wonder if
the Royals do their own podcast.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
I'm pretty sure the pr would have a nightmare if
they did.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
I'm actually surprised that they don't, because if you think
about how extensive the royal family is, you could have
one of the lesser royals doing it all the time.
Speaker 3 (26:59):
Well see here's the ques. How royal is royal?
Speaker 1 (27:01):
I mean, look, that is the question. But when it
comes down to it, I think what second third cousins different.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
Interests in Eugene. I think it is the cousins of Harry.
Speaker 1 (27:10):
Yeah, all that sort of stuff. I mean, me and
Markel and Harry were. Is this one thing that actually
shits me off about my fucking industry, and it's because
it's been run by Charlatan's. But it's it's like when
they do these big entertainment deals with those sort of people,
they give them fifty million dollars as a development deal
and then they get nothing out of it. And I've
(27:32):
never understood why people fucking do that.
Speaker 3 (27:34):
Give me the development money, I'll make something out of it.
Speaker 1 (27:37):
You give some people, some very talented creative people, two
million dollars, you end up with a film like Talk
to Me.
Speaker 4 (27:43):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
So it's really upsetting where multimillionaires are being given multimillions
to do nothing.
Speaker 3 (27:49):
And it will always shit me me too. The Moss
Treeger sets were gradually replaced starting in the nineteen sixties
as new technology was developed and shared. The original sets,
which were Morse code generators for a placed with radio
telephone systems that enabled direct voice communication, knocking out the
need for a Morse code operator to use one, which
means that the only people who actually know Morse code
(28:11):
are scouts, navyman and Matthew.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
I can't remember it now. If you were to like
I back in the day, I used to be able
to do it, but I can't do it anymore. It's
been too long, way, way, way too long late.
Speaker 3 (28:23):
I could probably send it, but trying to listen to
the difference in the beeps to receive it, I am
up shit Greek.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
I can say, I still can do that. I can
still do my dots and dashes. That's that's not a
problem at all. I just can't remember with I think
A is dot dash dot, And that's as far as
I'm willing to embarrass myself.
Speaker 3 (28:44):
Sos. That's all I know. That's the entirety of my
morescote knowledge. These radios were replaced in the nineteen eighties
and nineties when satellite phones and mobile phones began to
day their places. In the twenty twenty, the RFDS offers
telehealth communication with their patients as well as Internet based
(29:05):
communication as technology continues to move forward.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
Absolutely, Like even in isolated rural areas where I grew up,
where you know, you've got a population of seven thousand
people and then there are all these outlying properties friends
are well, a good friend of ours and a listener
to the show Gary on his property, they have issues
trying to get internet access. So to this very day
they've been using satellite Internet and that means that you know,
(29:32):
we can all play video games together in the evenings
and have communication. And that's how far things have come forward.
Speaker 3 (29:40):
It's the people who are out in the middle of
literally central Western Australia, that is one person in like
three hundred miles that are seeing a little bit of
a problem with Telstra's connectivity issues.
Speaker 1 (29:52):
Well that's why a lot of them have switched over
to satellite based internet services, because with a satellite based
internet service you can then and you know, once you
have access to the Internet, you have access to communication
you can use internet voice services. You know, it's it's
totally different. The game has completely changed.
Speaker 3 (30:10):
I'm sure I'll cop shit for this, but at least
out in the middle of the outback you don't have
to worry about it raining and knocking out your signal.
Speaker 1 (30:16):
Now you probably will cop shit for that one thing
that like I if I want millions of dollars, the
one thing that I would like to do is get
a little bit more off grid than we are now.
And being a little bit more off grid is possible
with a good battery storage system and solar panel, plus
you know certa a satellite hookup. Like, it's so much
(30:39):
easier to live remotely than it ever has been in
our existence.
Speaker 3 (30:43):
Connectivity issues in the most rule of places does always
offer challenges that the RFDS continues to work on improving
their technology even as they wander back in time fifty
years to remote communities this end, most of them still
have their old radios sitting in the side room just
in case. Along with the radio technology advancements, the equipment
(31:03):
carried in the airplanes of the rfds have evolved over
the decades. Originally, the aircraft carried the doctor, the pilot
and their bag. As planes grew bigger and more spacious,
more equipment was able to travel with the medical staff.
Things like cabinets of medicines, blood pressure machines, and CPR
units made their way in, along with new innovations in
technological supplies such as sterile bandages, hypodermic needles, and other
(31:26):
things you think about when you think ambulance. The rfds's
modern fleet includes aircraft such as the beach Beachcraft king
Air three sixty twin prop planes that are essentially the
airworthy versions of the airplane of the ambulances that service
the terrestrial emergencies.
Speaker 1 (31:42):
Custom cabin The cabins set up with the two stretcher
beds and three seats, which can be used in a
variety of configurations. Aircraft have been modified to replace the
standard passenger door with a large cargo dog who facilitate
patient loading and unloading cockpit. The standard aircraft installation allows
for two pilot staff, however, most operators, including the RFDS,
(32:04):
typically operate the aircraft in single pilot configuration. In addition
to the normal aircraft systems, the aircraft is fitted with
an additional battery to provide medical power. Medical oxygen and
suction system and an intercommunication system between the cockpit and
the medical staff in the cabin basically means that they
can perform surgery should they have to. Yep, staff a
(32:24):
flight nurse is usually on every flight, and in cases
where the patient is seriously ill, the doctor is also present.
Other passengers can include sitting patients, accompanying relatives or specialist
medical staff.
Speaker 3 (32:38):
Now the big question what does this all cost? The
answer is not as much as you might think. The
RFDS isn't even one of the most expensive medical services
in Australia. As of twenty twenty three, the RFDS has
twenty three aerobases around the country, servicing eighty seven aircraft,
including planes and choppers. Almost thirty three thousand patients have
(32:58):
flown in the planes, or more than three hundred and
forty five thousand people have used the RFDS in one
form or another. That's in the last ten years. With
operational cost of about one hundred and eighty million dollars
a year, it's a costing of only about five hundred
dollars per person helped in twenty twenty two to twenty
twenty three. That's less than the cost of an ambulance
which averages a nine hundred dollars call out fee plus
(33:21):
a sense per mile component similar to a taxi. And
the RFDS doesn't build a patient at the end of it,
So this is actually the most cost efficient way of
servicing the outback five hundred dollars a patient.
Speaker 1 (33:33):
Now, just quickly, Holly, before we wrap up the episode.
And I think that's fantastic how subsidized it is. And
I mean a crazy concept, but I think all medicines
should be free and paid for through taxes so that
everyone can get access to good healthcare. But one little
thing that you may have forgotten, Holly, and I want
to take this back to pop culture for a second.
(33:54):
In nineteen eighty six, a television series was created called
The Flying Doctors, obviously inspired by the Flying Doctor Service. Now.
The Flying Doctors follows the lives of a group of
medical professionals working for the Flying Doctor Service in the
remote Australian Outback. They produced two hundred and twenty one
(34:17):
episodes of the soapiek that went from nineteen eighty six
to nineteen ninety two, which is quite a long running
television show now. The show was a huge success in Scandinavia,
Germany and the Netherlands, with fans from the later two
countries starting fan clubs and special events with cast members presence,
(34:37):
very similar to what happened with Skippy and places like
Japan and Reruns of the series are still shown on
networks in Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands to this day.
Speaker 3 (34:48):
Why am I not surprised.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
Ben Mendelssohn. You may have seen him in many films
over the last couple of years.
Speaker 3 (34:57):
Is a scroll, isn't he?
Speaker 1 (34:58):
Yes? He is. He placed t he lost in the
Taylor's in Marvel Mutt Captain Marvel, and in the TV
show Nick Fury. He was also the villain and ready player.
Speaker 3 (35:08):
One Secret Invasion.
Speaker 1 (35:10):
Yes. He appears uncredited in the original mini series as
a child actor and returns grown up playing a bank
teller in the second season. Now there you go, So
there you go.
Speaker 3 (35:19):
It's very started.
Speaker 1 (35:20):
Yes, so there's You could probably do an entire episode
on the Flying Doctor service. But I figured if I
didn't quickly mention the pop culture reference, we would have
a lot of people going you didn't mention the TV
show based on the Flying Doctor Service. So there you go.
Speaker 3 (35:33):
There's also a podcast that's out now that actually people
interview patients of the Flying Doctor Service.
Speaker 1 (35:38):
Oh that's really cool, So.
Speaker 3 (35:40):
You can actually get the real life stories of people
who have had to interact with these guys.
Speaker 1 (35:43):
What's that podcast called Flying Doctors? Awesome? There's a shout
out to the Flying Doctors. Go and have a listen
to their podcast if you'd like to get some first
hand accounts of how the service operates.
Speaker 3 (35:55):
Traveling almost twenty eight million kilometers since its inception, or
as they like to point out, to the moon and
back four times. The RFDS is a cheap and socially
responsible staple of Australia and it's thankfully not going anywhere soon.
Speaker 1 (36:09):
You can also donate to the RFDS as it well
and I couldn't think of a better cause to send
some money towards. Well, that wraps up our two part
I hope that's been informative for you, and of course
a big shout out to all the medical personnel and
pilots who volunteer their time and as well as the
people who continue to support that service. It's fantastic service.
(36:32):
Well that's it from us for another week. But before
we let you go, just a couple of housekeeping things,
don't forget. If you'd like to reach out to us,
maybe you have a story where you are involved with
the Flying Doctor service. We'd love to hear from you.
You can send us a good old fashioned email we
crap in Australia at gmail dot com. I sort of
went into a bit of a Southern twang there for
a second. You can also reach out to us on
(36:53):
social media. Just type in wee crap in Australia into
the search bar of your social media of choice and
we should pop up. If we don't, send us that email,
and we'll set up an account just for you. You
can also help out the show by joining us on
Patreon with the rest of our patrons. You can contribute
to the show and get yourself some goodies gluting out
free episodes and free minisodes released to our Patreon fans exclusively.
(37:18):
You can also check out our book series week Crap
in Australia Well You. One to five are available now
from our great mates over at Impactcomics dot com dot Au.
You live internationally, you can pick that up from Lulu
dot com and if you prefer the digital version, head
over to Amazon for the kindle shop, and last but
not least, you can grab our merchandise from our Red
(37:38):
Bubble and Tea public stores. Just hype in wee crap
in Australia into the search bar and there's our custom.
We give Holly the final words.
Speaker 3 (37:46):
So the Flying Doctor podcast is actually produced by the
Royal Flying Doctor Service, so you actually get official stories
quality and there's one hundred episodes, so those of you
who like real life gory shit go for it.
Speaker 1 (37:57):
Yeah, yeah, you'll probably find some very interesting stories. Thank
you so much for joining us. Please stay safe out there,
be kind to each other. We will see you next
week for more be crap in Australia till then bye
for now. Merry Christmas, yes, Holly absolutely, this is the
last episode before good old Saint Nick comes at bustling
down those chimneys. As I mentioned before, I'd like to
(38:19):
wish all of our listeners a very merry Christmas if
you don't celebrate Christmas, a very happy festive season. Obviously,
a good and great and profitable and fantastic new year.
And let's try and make twenty twenty five better. Let's
try and make it better. Let's settle for better.
Speaker 3 (38:40):
Thanks gentlemen, how was twenty twenty five years ago? What
the hell I'm old?
Speaker 1 (38:47):
Yeah, well, if you think about it, what the year
two thousand was a quarter of a century ago. Yep,
we're getting old. Were getting old. Thanks so much everyone,
Please stay safe on those roads as well. Until we
see you next time. Bye for now.
Speaker 4 (39:05):
Bye.
Speaker 1 (39:19):
The Weird Crap In Australia podcast is produced by Holly
and Matthew Soul for the Modern Meltdown. If you've enjoyed
this podcast, please rate and review on your favorite podcatching app.
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