Robin Broadhurst the Rockhampton RFDS Local Hero Award nominee

A Rockhampton woman has worked tirelessly for nearly four years to help keep the Royal Flying Doctor Service in the air and now her efforts are being recognised.

Robin Broadhurst from the Royal Flying Doctor Service Volunteer Auxiliary.

When Robin Broadhurst was looking for volunteer work in her retirement four years ago, giving back to a vital organisation that helped her and her husband was a no-brainer.

She decided she would join the Royal Flying Doctor Service Rockhampton Volunteer Auxiliary and give back to the organisation that helped her in her time of need.

In 2013, Mrs Broadhurst had a heart attack and the RFDS team flew her to Brisbane so she could receive surgery.

“Twelve months later my husband had problems and he was flown to Brisbane because they thought he would have to have a pacemaker, but it was just a virus to the heart which was a lot better, so we’ve both used the service,” she said.

“They were fantastic, they put you at ease, they’re very caring, they walk you through it in a time where it’s a terrible time of your life and you don’t know what’s going to happen.

Linda Louttit, Robin Broadhurst and Jan Nightingale from the Royal Flying Doctor Service Volunteer Auxiliary.

“I was lucky, I wasn’t overly sick, even when I left here they weren’t sure if I’d had a heart turn or not but when I got to Brisbane they found I needed a stent put in because I had a 99 per cent blockage of the main artery.

“They do all this for you and it costs you nothing, so this is my way of giving back.”

Mrs Broadhurst was also involved with the RFDS before becoming a part of the auxiliary, helping out at morning teas and raffles with friends.

She said throughout her time helping the service she had heard many stories about how the service had touched their lives.

“I don’t think there’s a single person that wouldn’t know somebody that has used it. It gets quite choking at some stages, it brings tears to your eyes, there is always someone who has a story,” she said.

“At Beef Australia 2024, we had a little boy who was about seven and he came up and said ‘are you with the RFDS?’ and I said ‘yes’ and he said ‘I’ve flown with you’.

“He was just so excited that he was able to thank us, he was only about four or five and he’d been burnt and he remembered that, and as far as he was concerned we’d helped him. I’ve had another girl come up to me and say ‘you saved my Dad’ and I said it wasn’t me, but she said ‘no you’re the RFDS’, he’d been flown to Brisbane twice.”

RFDS Plane.

Mrs Broadhurst said the service was vital to areas like Central Queensland, with it being the only health provider for some remote areas.

“They’re the ones that are on the spot if they need to be taken from their properties, RFDS is their lifeline,” she said.

In her role with the auxiliary Mrs Broadhurst works with the team of volunteers to put on fundraising morning teas, hold raffles and put on their pop-up shop twice a year.

The next pop-up shop will be held between June 17 and July 27 at Allenstown Plaza.

She said all the money raised goes towards the local RFDS base to help purchase things such as equipment and keep the flying doctor in the air.

Now her tireless work with auxiliary is being recognised with an award nomination.

Mrs Broadhurst is one of nine local heroes from across the state who have been recognised for the profound impact they’ve had on their communities as part of the RFDS Queensland Local Hero Awards.

“It’s amazing, I was really honoured when I received the call, and it just shows what you do is appreciated,” she said.

Robin Broadhurst from the Royal Flying Doctor Service Volunteer Auxiliary.

“But I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without the good auxiliary behind me. You know you’re doing it for a good cause and it’s the friendship and camaraderie we have with everybody, we all get along and we all have a lot of laughs.

“Everybody works really well together and tries to help one another out, it’s great to have that group of mates.”

RFDS provide a number of vital health services to regional, rural and remote Australia including aeromedical retrievals, primary healthcare, telehealth, oral health and mental health and wellbeing services.

In the last financial year RFDS provided more than 219 occasions of care across Queensland, administered 3500 immunisations and transferred more than 12,500 patients via the aeromedical service.

In the 2022/23 financial year RFDS flew an incredible 24,192 hours across 8.4 million kilometres, landing 22,049 times.

Voting for the local hero awards close on June 6 on the RFDS Local Hero website.

Mrs Broadhurst said they were always on the lookout for new volunteers and encouraged anyone interested to contact them.