RFDS Base Kalgoorlie – Western Operations Inc.

Eastern Goldfield Section

Friday, 21st July to Sunday, 23rd July 2006 (Reported by Dr Hans-U. Henschel) Western Australia´s goldfields provide the history and romance of the world´s last great goldrush complete with magnificent heritage architecture, museums, art galleries, ghost towns and a fascinating history. Kalgoorlie was established in 1893 after Paddy Hannan, Tom Flanagan and Daniel Shea discovered gold near Mount Charlotte. What was once the fabulous ´Golden Mile´ is today known in Kalgoorlie-Boulder as the Super Pit, a mine, which supplies 75% of Australia´s total gold production today and about 8% of the world´s gold production.

Photo: Kalgoorlie

After the first discovery of gold in 1893 one can find the inheritage of the pioneers of mining in contrast to the modern technik of mining in the public mine and historical museum, where it is brought to the visitors. Since 1938 there is a base of the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Kalgoorlie. On Friday the 21st of July 2006 Dr Henschel presented the German association flydoc australia e.v. (Inc.) in this base. With this visit all 23 bases of the RFDS in Australia have been visited. All bases had gotten a donation. In total it has been already the impressive amount of 57,055.- AUS$, which was acknowledged with thankfulness in whole Australia.

Photo: RFDS Base Kalgoorlie Because of the visits to all the other RFDS bases of the Western Operation, Dr Henschel´s journey has been pursued already by Judy Holland, Base Administrator. Thus he was not complete foreign to her when he entered the room.

Photo: Base Administrator Judy Holland at base reception desk

When entering the base, you will find yourself in the reception desk area, where there is also the exhibition for visitors. As if the would know each other, Kelly Croxford, Fundraising, Tour Guide, Administration Assistant, comes to Dr Henschel and welcomes him cordially. Already expecting his visit also Lisa van Oyen, Eastern Goldfields Fundraising & Public Relations Manager came to this conversation.

Photo: Lisa van Oyen talking by Dr Henschel

At first Dr Henschel went to one of the guided tours of Kelly Croxford. They were shown a video about the RFDS of the Western Operations. After the movie Kelly Croxford explained the work of the RFDS of the Western Operations in front of a map of Western Australia.

Photo: Kelly Croxford introduces the base and the RFDS to visitors After that he had an interview with a young man who was a representative of the local press, the ´Kalgoorlie Miner`. The man had a camera with him and as reporters usually do he had a notepad and a pen. Dr Henschel was very proud of the German association flydoc australia e.v. (Inc.) and all the honourable members, who are supporting this exceptional healthservice of the Flying Doctor and by this helping to rescue lifes. Because without these members and their donations the association could not survive. Furthermore he told about the German fanclub by Renate Kaldenhoff, which is existing since almost 11 years. While the press was there he handed over a donation of AUD 1,000.- to Lisa van Oyen. With this last donation the German association flydoc australia e.v. (Inc.) had brought AUD 5,000.- during its trip to the Western Operations.

Photo: Handing over the Donation to RFDS Base Kalgoorlie

Lisa van Oyen had another important date, thus she brought Dr Henschel the flight nurses on duty, Lynne Jansen, Flight Nurse and Andrew Christopherson, Senior Flight Nurse. And once again there was a man a nurse, which seems strange to a German, because the word nurse in German is a female person.

Photo: Flight Nurses Lynne Jansen and Andrew Christopherson talking by Dr Henschel

He explained to them why he was in Kalgoorlie and told them about the association. He told them as well about his trip from Darwin to Kalgoorlie, especially about the bases he had visited.

Andrew Christopherson, Senior Flight Nurse and Lynne Jansen, Flight Nurse Andrew showed him the offices of the physicians, the flight nurses and the pilots. They went as well into the hangar, but all planes were in use, so the hangar was empty. No it was not completely empty, Avcat, the Hangar Cat, was there. It is a 12 year, well cared for cat with a collar. She was enjoying herself here as you could see. Dignified she followed the guided tour for a while.

Photo: Avcat, the Kalgoorlie Base hangar cat

In front of the base Andrew Christopherson showed him a memorial stone, which they put there this year in memory of a horrible accident which happend 25 years ago. The memory was still in all of them.

Photo: Memorial stone of the accident at RFDS Base Kalgoorlie 25 years ago

Then, at the 30th of April 1981 the Flight Nurse Judith Osborne, the Pilot Arthur Turner and the passenger Alexander Coxall left their lifes in this accident.

The plane was returning from Jamieson after dark when it was hit by a severe squall just 4 km east of Kalgoorlie. The aircraft entered a dust cloud and the turbulent conditons took the craft through varying altitudes. It then collided with a headframe from a mine shaft. The left wing was torn off and the plane crashed to the ground. It was found that the pilot handled the aircraft skilfully – righting it after it turned upside down. There was no preexisting malfunction or fault contributing to the accident.

Sixteen year old patient Daphne McLean was seriously hurt but recovered.

The picture on the memorial shows the flight nurse Judith Osborne who was killed in the accident. The memorial stone comes out of one of the goldmines. It holds a certain amount of gold. Andrew also mentioned the value of it.

Further interesting facts about the RFDS base in Kalgoorlie were presented: There are 3 physicians that work at the base, 5 flight nurses, 5 pilots, 1 base administrator and 4 employees working in the area of the RFDS Eastern Goldfields Fundraising.

On this base there are usually 2 of the 11 planes of the Western Operations stationed. There are not always the same planes there, because one plane always stays in Jandakot for tending. Thus the stationing has a rotating system.

Andrew Christopherson stated that all planes were out. Because they were on duty, but they didn´t have no cases to work at, at the moment, Andrew Christopherson who also was active in collecting donations, wanted to show Dr Henschel the most important sights of Kalgoorlie-Boulder. On the way he wanted to visit the old RFDS base as well.

After leaving the airport he showed him a boulevard, the Burt Street of Boulder. The two villages have grown together into one by the time. You can see there the typical splendid houses of the period of promoterism, well kept and restaurated, as you can find in rich cities like that.

On they went to the Super Pit Lookout. But what is this? An absolutly giant, super big whole in the earth. It is a huge opencast working- well just a Super Pit.

Andrew showed him as well the Mt Charlotte Lookout with a fantastic view over the village, the Mining Hall of Fame with the original Statue of Paddy Hannan, the Hannan Street of Kalgoorlie with the WA Museum Kalgoorlie Boulder, where there is shown the social and cultural history of the Eastern Goldfields.

Next Andrew showed Dr Henschel the old RFDS base, which he had never found by himself. In this building they had worked till 1996.

Photo: The old RFDS Kalgoorlie Base

Today there are standing the transmitting aerials of radio station, which still is used. All emergency calls come in here and are transmitted to the central radiostation in Perth. In the bases of Western Australia it is organised like that as well. 1930 the first base was opened at the same place. The profession as a Flying Doctor did not exist yet at that time. It was a family home with three bedrooms, one of the bedrooms was used as the radio station, in the other rooms normal life took part. Later more rooms were added like a porch and a laundry room, etc. The first flight took part in 1934, but not yet with the name Flying Doctors. The central radio station of the Flying Doctors was opened at the 28th of May 1938. Arthur Taylor was the first base operator. The first emergency flight was in June 1938, they went to a sick missionary to Warburton who had an appendicitis. In May 1966 there was a bigger building of the base opened in front of the old already existing building. In the new base there was air conditioning, new and better transmitters in a separate room and a show- case for souvenirs. The hangar for the airplanes has always been at the airport. Only in 1996 the today’s base was built and opened next to the hangar at the airport. Then the old Radio Base was left. The base at the airport now exists for ten years. Back to the base the exchange of ideas went on at a cup of tea. Thus Dr Henschel got to know that there was German medical student, doing a practical training, who was called Silke Vogt. She was on a flight to Jandakot / Perth. At the moment there are only two doctors working for the base. Which the both of them have an 100-hours-week. Dr Henschel could talk to one of them, Dr John Britten, Medical Officer, who comes from New Zealand. He told Dr Henschel how difficult it is to find really qualified doctors for the RFDS. Well qualified doctors from Germany also have the chance to become a “Real Flying Doctor”. It was surprising how cordially Dr John Britten was delighted by the support from Germany.

Photo: Dr John Britten talking by Dr Henschel As a good bye Dr Henschel became the receipt for the donation and a beautiful diploma for the German association flydoc australia e.v. (Inc.) for his valuable support from Germany.

Photo: Donation receipt of the RFDS Base Kalgoorlie of AUD 1,000.-

Photo: Donation certificate of the RFDS Western Operations to the association flydoc australia e.v. (Inc.)

At the 22nd of July 2006 Dr Henschel met Andrew Christopherson for a working dinner. After seeing all the 23 bases it was very interesting to exchange information with a colleague, who is working as a senior flight nurse at Kalgoorlie and who has worked during his working- life in almost ten different bases of the RFDS. Thus there were many memories to be shared. With another colleague Dr Henschel met the 22nd / 23rd of July 2006 in Kalgoorlie, together with Silke Vogt, a German medical student, who is working at this base for some time. It was almost an adventure until Silke Vogt sat the first time in an Airplane of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia. But about this she will write her own report. Miss Vogt and Dr Henschel not only used their time to do the important sightseeing in Kalgoorlie. They also used their time to talk about the RFDS and exchange their experiences.

Photos: Silke Vogt and Dr Henschel at sightseeing in Kalgoorlie-Boulder and exchange experiences of the RFDS

Because of this meeting the German association flydoc australia e.v. (Inc.) gained a new active member. Because of her work at the RFDS base Silke Vogt is sure and also takes her believe back to Germany that this unique health service of the RFDS is very important for Australia and that the donations are necessary so the Fyling Doctors can keep on flying.

[Translated by Mareile Wilsch, Hamm, Germany]