RFDS in Tasmania

[AussieO2]

A press release by RFDS says that 14 September is the 50 anniversary of the first official flight by RFDS in Tasmania. Just wondered what aircraft were used in the 60's and 70's.. I thought that the a/c were chartered from the Aero Clubs on an 'as required' basis. VH-REM Cessna 180A, TCA Edgar Percival, AHA SAAB Safir, TAT Cessna 182A all ring a bell, but there must have been more involved.

[Fantome]

MEDIA RELEASE

RFDS celebrates 50 years in Tasmania. Tasmanian Section President Dr George Merridew said - “While the RFDS is best known for its rescues and retrievals in outback Australia, it also plays a very important role in Tasmania. Many of the people who live in rural Tasmania and on the surrounding islands are just as isolated as those who live in the outback, and they certainly require the same access to medical care. The Flying Doctor’s role in Tasmania over the past 50 years has grown as a result of this, and today, contracted to Ambulance Tasmania we play a vital role in delivering emergency and essential health care services to the people of our state,”

The Tasmanian Section of the RFDS has grown from humble beginnings, from 1960 when it transported 50 patients for treatment in its first year of operation to 2010, where it has been responsible for transporting over 1000 patients. “In the past year, the Flying Doctor has flown almost half a million kilometres in Tasmania, covering Flinders Island, King Island, Wynyard, Hobart, St Helens, Queenstown and Strahan, and the many communities in between,” Dr Merridew said.

The Tasmanian section operates the one Kingair (VH-MXU) from it's base at Launcestern Airport (Western Junction)

[Stationair8]

Many years ago, I came across an article written about Lloyd Jones who was the CFI of the Aero Club of Southern Tasmania about conducting a night time medical flight in the early 1960's, using the various lighthouses for track guidance.

A few names from the early days when the various aero clubs supplied the pilot and aircraft , Reg Munroe, Neil Beattie, Vern Pernnyfather, Nick Tanner, John Pugh, George Smith and Bill Vincent.