A GENEROUS cheque from a fundraising auction during the 2015 Royal Adelaide Show has been donated to the Royal Flying Doctor Service of SA.
Herefords SA gave $1945 to the RFDS, after a dinner auction of Hereford semen, merchandise and wine.
Association president Lachy Day said the RFDS was a significant cause for the committee.
“We’ve all known someone who has needed their services and assistance through the years, so it is important to every one of us,” he said.
RFDS central operations, marketing and public relations general manager Charlie Paterson said the funds were an integral part of their fundraising and donations enabled purchases of vital medical equipment, and their new base at Adelaide Airport possible.
“We ultimately rely on the generosity of the community to help deliver a service,” he said.
An ultra-modern $10-million plane, which can travel triple the range of the existing fleet and assist in medical emergencies and hospital transfers, will arrive in two years.
“A new plane from Switzerland is due for delivery in 2018 and will be a game changer. It can conduct long-haul flights and fit three stretcher patients,” he said.
The Pilatus PC-24 plane will be the first of its kind in SA and be able to land on sealed and unsealed strips.
“We will be connecting country hospitals with city hospitals and giving country people access to higher levels of care,” he said.