Royal Flying Doctor Service RFDS Bruce Langford Visitor Centre #BrokenHill

Searching Twitter with #BrokenHill took me to Instagram this time for a story idea for my first www.ilovebrokenhill.com blog post for 2016. Okay, the topic isn't new to my blog, but it's a good one nonetheless.

And before I go on about one of my favourite subjects, namely Broken Hill, I wish readers and everyone a very Happy New Year.

I hope 2016 is a wonderful year for you all in every way.

Back to the Tweet -

What does #nightshift look like for a #flightnurse in #BrokenHill ? https://t.co/oHjJmlunKb

— Royal Flying Doctor (@RoyalFlyingDoc) January 7, 2016

and 
Instagram post-

"I took this about 3am after finishing a retrieval and packing up to go home." Flight nurse Amy Parkinson. #RFDS #flightnurse #insight #outbackaustralia #nightshift

A photo posted by Royal Flying Doctor Service (@royalflyingdoc) on Jan 6, 2016 at 9:58pm PST

which as you can see, relates to the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) in Broken Hill.

Today I want to highlight this important service yet again, not just because it provides a great tourist attraction experience for Broken Hill visitors, but because it relies on donations for much of its work and I want to support the fantastic work that they do.

Why?

Because your and my life may one day quite literally depend upon the RFDS.

The RFDS plays a vital role in the care of sick and injured people in remote areas such as #BrokenHill and the Far West Corner of New South Wales.

Broken Hill is in the South Eastern Section of the RFDS. The RFDS operates in remote areas around Australia and covers over 7.3 million square kilometres.

The Bruce Langford Visitor Centre is at the RFDS located at the Broken Hill Airport in South Broken Hill and is open daily. The Centre won the Silver Award for the Tourism Services Category at the Inland NSW Tourism Awards in July 2015.

Visitors are welcome to browse through the Centre and watch a film about RFDS operations at Broken Hill.

Guided tours are available which describe the full extent of the RFDS's aeromedical services. Visitors can view the communications room and, via a viewing platform, they can see the medically outfitted aircraft and the hangar.

Visitors also have the opportunity to see a working RFDS in action, every day of the week.

Royal Flying Doctor Service merchandise is available for purchase at the souvenir shop (or from the RFDS online shop). All proceeds from sales and admissions go directly towards the vital work of the RFDS.

Hours - 9 am-5 pm M-F, 10am-3pm S-S and public holidays.

Closed - Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Years Day, Australia Day and Good Friday.

Cost - Adults $8.50, children up to 12 years $4, family $20.00 (2 adults & 2 children under 12 years), concession & student card holders $7 groups 10 or more $7.

Address - Airport Road, (South) Broken Hill.

Contact - 08 8080 3714

There is also a new medical centre at the Base.

The RFDS in Broken Hill is supported financially in various ways by numerous Broken Hill locals and groups.

If you would like to financially support the RFDS you can donate via a link from their website - www.flyingdoctor.org.au.

I highly recommend you put the RFDS Base and Visitor Centre on your itinerary when you visit Broken Hill. It's a great experience.

Cheers, Jane Deany

Congratulations to the winners of the Inland Tourism Awards 2015

Linda Nadge (L), Jane Deany- aka me (centre) and
Travis Nadge (R). Linda & Travis Nadge -
Bronze Award for Specialised Tourism Services.

Community Event
It was great to be in Broken Hill recently to attend the Inland Tourism Awards for 2015. I knew a few of the finalists, and was pleased to witness friends receiving assorted awards from Bronze through to Gold, and for one Broken Hill 'superstar' operator - Tri State Safaris, further, repeat inductions into the Hall of Fame. Tri State was inducted for the Tour and/or Transport Operator category and (with Mutawintji Ecotours) -  Indigenous Tourism.

Here is a link to the Inland Tourism Awards website which lists all the 2015 winners 

www.inlandtourismawards.com.au/inta-news.aspx

The event was held at the Broken Hill Civic Centre and there were approximately 240 guests. Eighty percent of the guests were visitors connected with the finalists and the finalists themselves.

Finalists came from the following four regional tourist areas of Central, Inland, Murray and Riverina NSW.

Winners of the Inland Tourism Awards gain finalist status upon entering the NSW State Awards,  and if successful, go into the National Tourism Awards.

I was delighted to sit with Gold Award Winners Eldee Station, who won the Unique Accommodation category, and my friends Linda and Travis Nadge who won Bronze in the Specialised Tourism Services category for their new Outback Astronomy business.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service Bruce Langford Visitor Centre (Broken Hill) won the Silver Award for the Tourism Attractions category.

Multi award winning Tri State Safaris won the Gold Award for both the Ecotourism category and Adventure Tourism category.

There were 26 categories in all.

It was a fantastic night. Guest were entertained by the Desert Queens and there was a Priscilla Queen of the Desert theme.

Congratulations to all the winners.

Cheers,

Jane Deany

www.ilovebrokenhill.com 3 year anniversary today. I still love #BrokenHill !

I've just returned from a fantastic week in #BrokenHill celebrating my www.ilovebrokenhill.com blog's three year anniversary which is today.

Here's a tweet with an image of me from the trip. It's actually taken on the Broken Hill train station with the famous Indian Pacific train in the background, and an impressive Royal Flying Doctor model aircraft display vehicle immediately behind me.

266 posts & @IloveBrokenHill blog's 3 yrs old today.Thanks #BrokenHill & readers,cheers @JaneDeany @RoyalFlyingDoc pic.twitter.com/S9G5Ndkmq5
— Jane Deany (@ilovebrokenhill) December 8, 2014

Me with the Indian Pacific train at Christmas concert

The train was in Broken Hill on the annual Christmas concert trip where there was a performance by well known band 'Chocolate Starfish' as well as a local school choir.

There were big crowds for the 7.20am start concert and it was a lot of fun and a lovely sunny warm day.

There's always something going on in Broken Hill.

I think one of the main reasons I love Broken Hill is because I always have a great time, every time I visit, and this trip was no exception. I had a fantastic time, and there's still plenty of things to write about, especially after this very action-packed and busy trip.

Cheers, Jane Deany

Royal Flying Doctor Service is a vital service worth supporting

I wanted to write something about Broken Hill today. Thought I would check Twitter again for some inspiration, rather than other sources which I've used in the past. www.ilovebrokenhill.com 's Twitter handle is @ilovebrokenhill .

The following tweet by @missemilymaree (Emily Biddiscombe) did the trick.

If you, your family, or just someone special to you have ever had a medical crisis in a regional area, the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) might just save your life. The organisation is a medical service that looks after the remote regional Australian population.

These guys do an amazing job much of which would not be possible without the generosity of every day Australians.... pic.twitter.com/RlxyUX0iRW
— Emily Biddiscombe (@missemilymaree) July 14, 2014

Well it's Sunday, I'm off for a bike ride, so this is just a quick post to remind readers to think of the Royal Flying Doctor Service and consider making a donation.

The RFDS's website is www.flyingdoctor.org.au . 

www.ilovebrokenhill.com supports the RFDS.

RFDS is a Broken Hill Attraction
RFDS's main base is in fact in Broken Hill. It's a great attraction to visit if you're heading to #BrokenHill for a trip.

I have written about the RFDS a few times, here's a link to my post of 4 February 2013, which talks about the RFDS base as an operating tourist attraction.

In May 2013 the service celebrated its 85th anniversary of operation, see my post of 26 May 2013.

Thanks Emily Biddiscombe for reminding us of this vital regional medical service.

Cheers, Jane Deany

Royal Flying Doctor Service 85th Anniversary

One of the six King Air B200 aircraft
receiving regular maintenance whilst I visited the
RFDS Base in Broken Hill

On 17 May 2013, the famous and equally essential Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) noted their 85th anniversary of their inaugural flight from Cloncurry to nearby Julia Creek in Queensland which took place on 17 May 1928 just two days after the founder, Presbyterian minister Rev. John Flynn officially opened the service in Cloncurry and realised his 10 year dream.

Operations at the RFDS Broken Hill Base began eight years later in 1936.

The Business Manager of the RFDS Broken Hill Visitor's Centre, Susan Williams was quoted in the Barrier Daily Truth last Monday as saying "major celebrations will be held later in the year, but they were just marking the day".

I wrote an article on the RFDS in Broken Hill on 4 February 2013, see link here to the article.

The RFDS provides medical care to people in remote areas of Australia and plays a critical role in the health of many Australians who live and work in or are visiting the outback.

RFDS logo from their website

The service has 21 bases around Australia.  The Broken Hill Base is the only base in Australia where visitors can see a working base in action every day of the week.  The Bruce Langford Visitor Centre is definitely well worth a visit when you come to Broken Hill.  I thoroughly enjoyed my time there earlier in the year.  It's really fascinating.

If you would like to financially support the RFDS you can donate via
a link from their website.

Cheers, Jane D

Broken Hill's Royal Flying Doctor Service a unique visitor experience

The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) Broken Hill plays a very important part in the life of any outback community and surrounding region, such as Broken Hill and New South Wales Far West Corner.

RFDS South Easter Section corporate headquarters at Broken Hill, image from their website

Numerous Broken Hill locals and groups support the Broken Hill (and Australian) RFDS financially in some way as the RFDS plays a vital role in the care of sick and injured people in remote areas.

If you would like to financially support the RFDS you can donate via a link from their website www.flyingdoctor.org.au .

Broken Hill is the corporate headquarters for the South Eastern Section of the RFDS. It is the only headquarters in Australia where visitors can see a working RFDS in action, every day of the week.

Guided tours are available which describe the full extent of the RFDS's aeromedical services. Visitors can view the communications room and, via a viewing platform, they can see the medically outfitted aircraft and the hangar.

The Bruce Langford Visitor Centre is at the corporate headquarters of the RFDS located at the Broken Hill Airport in South Broken Hill and is open daily. Visitors are welcome to browse through the Centre and watch a film about RFDS operations at Broken Hill.

Royal Flying Doctor Service merchandise is available for purchase at the souvenir shop (or from the RFDS online shop). All proceeds from sales and admissions go directly towards the vital work of the RFDS.

Open     Daily 9 am-5 pm M-F, S-S and public holidays 10 am-3 pm
              Closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Good Friday

Cost      Adults $7, children 6 and over $3.70, family $16.50, concession $5.90

RFDS logo from their website

              groups 10 or more $5.90

Contact  08 8080 3714

It is on my list of things still to do* but I have heard it is fantastic.

*See future post as I did visit the RFDS two days later (and in summary it really was fantastic).

Cheers, Jane D

Sound Circus @ Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery 11 September 2012

Entertainment

Date: 24 August - 17 September 2012

The touring “Sound Circus” plays tonight at the Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery.

Playing a fence, from
Sound Circus page

Where:     404-408 Argent Street, Broken Hill.

When:      Tuesday 11 September 2012, 6.30pm.

Entry is free but donations will be passed on to the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS).

The “Sound Circus” band is currently touring outback ‘Corner Country’ New South Wales.  This band is comprised of a rather unusual combination of instruments including traditional ones such as the clarinet, violin, double bass, trumpet and trombone, as well as some quirky instruments such as the fence wire, gum leaf and amplified glass.

Violin from
wikipedia

Sound Circus is modelled on the traditional idea of a travelling circus.  In this case, there is a team of sound artists, performing or installing new and experimental music.

The sonic odyssey will feature new and old technologies such as auto-drumming, a huge ball and sonic sculpture projects intermingled with the traditional instruments in environmental contexts.

The emphasis will be on live music that uses interactive technology, engages with the environment, and connects to the people who live in the Corner Country.

Contact Details:         Ruth Sandow             Telephone: 08 8091 2524

The overall schedule is as follows –

Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery	24 August and 11 September, 6.30pm
White Cliffs Arts Festival	6 - 9 September
Broken Hill School of the Air	30 August
Fowlers Gap	25 August
Packsaddle Roadhouse	26 August, 2.00pm
Mutawintji National Park	10 September
Milparinka	12 - 13 September, 6.30pm, 10.00am
Tibooburra School of the Air	14 September
Warri Gate	15 September
Innamincka	16 September
Cameron Corner	17 September

Enjoy ...

Cheers, Jane D