Page 2 - RFDS - What is it like

The Royal Flying Doctor Service acknowledges and pays respect to the past,

present and fu ture Traditional Custodians and Elders of this nation.

Since February 2020, the RFDS has been part of the front-line response to COVID. The Royal
Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) is part of Australia’s larger health system and considered an
essential service.

The RFDS Education program shares the story of the Royal Flying Doctor Service, its history and
its importance to rural and remote Australia. It also delivers health messaging to school students,
using education as a tool in prevention, to work towards improving health outcomes.

During 2020, with students learning from home we developed a series of online activities. These
were designed to keep primary school aged children engaged with us and to provide some
extracurricular fun for kids who had all of their activities cancelled. The series of five activities
were designed so they could be completed independently, if parents were balancing working from
home, or completed together, as a fun family activity. They were released to our website,
(www.flyingdoctor4education.org.au) once a week. The five activities; Your Story, Our Story,
cooking with the RFDS, Our Planes and RFDS Toothy Truths provided information and fun
activities to help primary school aged children fill the days of lockdown.

This book is a result of activity one, Your Story. Children were encouraged to share what it was
like at their place, and some of the activities they were enjoying while being safe at home.

“Connections matter. Strong ties with family, friends and the community provide us with happiness,
security, support and a sense of purpose. Being connected to others is important for our mental and
physical wellbeing.” (Beyond Blue, 2020, Connections Matter, viewed 15 February 2021,
https://www.beyondblue.org.au/who-does-it-affect/older-people/connections-matter )