90 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE RFDS.

Returning to “Devoncourt”, the home of our lifelong friends Christine and Don McDonald, we happily settled into comfortable beds and spacious bathroom facilities for three nights.

As part of the Royal Flying Doctor 90th anniversary celebrations, 19 vintage aircraft had begun a journey from Dubbo to Mt Isa. They were currently in Cloncurry. Chris and Don hosted this group of 40 for lunch in their beautiful garden. It was like ‘old times’ as we made sandwiches together, something we had done many times for the multitude of fund-raising functions we had catered for whilst we were living at McAllister.

Rick quietly placed 6 books on a nearby table, causing considerable interest and resulting in a number of sales! This introvert author is extremely grateful for her enthusiastic, salesman husband!

Continuing with the celebrations, we enjoyed a cocktail party at John Flynn Place, a remarkable and interesting museum in Cloncurry in which we had been inaugural members, followed by a dinner attended by the Governor of Queensland and his wife. It was at this event I managed to charm a pilot/owner of a vintage plane who generously invited Rick and I to join his flight to Julia Creek the following morning to re-trace the first evacuation flight of the RFDS 90 years previously!

‘Yes please” we responded with enthusiasm.

A very early start for a wonderful experience, flying in a 59 year old Tri-Pacer aircraft which was encased in linen!

For my pilot husband, it was fun to be in the cockpit again, and I was happy to enjoy the view from an aerial perspective, a nice change from the long distances we had been travelling with a caravan behind.

What a wonderful experience to enjoy in our old stomping ground.

We departed to head south with many happy memories and many new experiences to share.