Trek4RFDS

Why I'm trekking: Meg Devery

Hello! My name is Meg and I am a health economist working in intellectual disability and rural health inequities. I am also an ambassador the Queensland section of the RFDS. 

I started Trek4RFDS as a way of raising awareness and funds for the RFDS whilst bringing people together for a good cause. 

For people living in rural Queensland, the RFDS is a lifeline. The statistics speak for themselves: 

22,000 flights in 2025 alone, flying people from the furthest corners of the state to the emergency care they need.

1,300 medical chests stationed throughout remote communities to provide critical medication and equipment in an emergency.

18,800 Telehealth consultations conducted in 2025 offering expert medical guidance 24/7 to people who live hours away from critical healthcare services. 

But of course behind every statistic is a person, a loved one. Someone's mother or father, sister, brother or child. 

It's a mother living in a remote community who has access to antenatal and postnatal care through the RFDS. 

It's a farmer whose life is changed by a chat with an RFDS mental health clinician. 

It's a five year old girl who, because of this service, is still here today. 

It's impossible to put into words what this organisation means to me, but I am just one of thousands of people across the state who would say the same thing. This is why I'm trekking - for anyone who has been touched by this service, for rural communities, and for that five year old girl. 

Hiking to Help the Flying Doctor

Hi there! Thank you for visiting our page!

Trek4RFDS is an annual trekking event that aims to raise awareness and funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service (Queensland Section). In August we will be running a month-long campaign to get our local communities active whilst promoting the vital work of the RFDS. This will culminate in a group of six ambassadors undertaking the Kokoda Trek in PNG in late August.

Each of us has been touched by this incredible organisation, from seeing the critical role it plays in rural and remote communities to owing our lives to its service. We all have a reason and inspiration for doing this trek, but we are united by our love of rural Queensland, our communities and the RFDS.

If you would like to get involved (amazing, thank you!) it is easy:  

Find a trail or walk in your local area, spread the word to your friends and family and get together this August to Trek4RFDS (and let us know about it!)

We appreciate any donations, shares or support. We will have fundraising events in Goondiwindi, Brisbane and Bundaberg in August before we set off to PNG. Details to come!

Why I'm Trekking: The Campbell Family

We are from Goondiwindi, and are fortunate to have access to excellent local hospitals in our region. Our daughter Hannah had three years in the Kimberley, working on large cattle stations. It was through Hannah’s experience in the vast north, that we were able to see what remote living was truly like. And when things go wrong health-wise, how access to medical help is critical to survival. The RFDS plays a key role in that survival.

We are not only trekking Kokoda for the RFDS, but to think about Ian’s two great uncles. They were captured by the Japanese during WWII. They were interned at Changi prison, in Singapore. Each ANZAC day we try to attend and pay our respects at the Sandakan Memorial in New Farm, Brisbane, to remind ourselves of their sacrifice, and the other brave souls who did not come home. The nine-day trek will allow us to think more about how fortunate we are to live in Australia.