JOHN FLYNN was a gentle man of God who had a resolve of steel. And that resolve, along with the belief that “if you start an idea, nothing can stop it,” resulted in the creation of one of the miracles of the outback – the Flying Doctor Service.

His idea was to find a way to overcome the vast distances of inland Australia to provide people with medical assistance. The only way to do that, he believed, was to give wings to doctors. And thus the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) had its beginning. At the time, the aeroplane was still a sideshow wonder and wireless communication of the kind needed hadn’t even been invented.

At the time when Flynn had his vision for a “mantle of safety” across the outback, he was already doing a great deal for the people of the inland, for he was the organising agent and superintendent of a special home mission area which became the Australian Inland Mission (AIM). The mission helped people overcome much of the fear, loneliness and suffering in the outback, but it could not provide medical service during emergencies.

W. Scott McPheat, in his book, Apostle of the Inland, explains that while resident doctors could never have been supported by the scanty population of the inland, Flynn envisaged that a “flying” doctor could work from an inland base, sweeping over flood waters and deserts with equal ease, landing when necessary to take patients to the base hospital. For this to work, a new form of communication had to be brought to the inland.

Although Flynn’s vision for a “baby” transmitting and receiving set was greeted with scepticism in many circles, valuable allies in his quest were H. V. McKay, the founder and principal of the Sunshine Harvest Company in Melbourne, and Lieutenant Hudson Fysh DFC, who was a founder of the pioneer airline company Qantas.

The inspiring story of John Flynn and the other pioneers of the RFDS is told at the John Flynn Place Museum and Art Gallery. While there, you will marvel at the incredible resolve and backbone of the man who worked so diligently towards something others said could not be done. This is a museum worth visiting as it was determined by Queensland’s RACQ as one of the top 150 things to do in Queensland.

In Flynn’s own words, “We are not of them who turn back. The secret of life is to overcome failure.”

The cool air-conditioned interior of this unique outback building with its curving roofline pays tribute to the amazing accomplishments of some of Australian history’s greats. Even if you already know the background of the RFDS, the centre gives you an opportunity to realise all over again that even today, it would be almost impossible to duplicate the feat that was accomplished 80 years ago.
His dream was realised in 1928 when the “Victory”, a single-engined DH50 aircraft, took off with a doctor on board for its first mission.

A wonderful surprise in store for people who tour through the John Flynn Place is the museum’s very own “Victory”.

The complete scale model aircraft is exactly one-third the size of the original. The model, built by international airline company Qantas engineer Ross Woodcock and valued around $60,000, was donated by Qantas to the John Flynn Place as a fitting tribute to the beginnings of the marvellous Flying Doctor Service. Qantas was the company which built the first flying doctor aircraft in Longreach during the late 1920s.

The John Flynn Place is a tribute to all who worked to create a “mantle of safety” over the inland with the Flying Doctor Service.

The complex, in Daintree Street, is open from 8.00am to 4.30pm during weekdays from February to December. From May to the end of September, it is also open on weekends from 9.00am to 3.00pm.
The centre is also opened on request for organised tours outside those times.

People can buy souvenirs as mementoes of their visit, including a video on the John Flynn Place. There is an admission charge.

The John Flynn Place features some of the equipment used in the early days of the service, set into realistic displays. It includes the pedal generator, part of the transceiver equipment which was very important to the early progression of the service.

One of the pieces of historical memorabilia is the first Traegar pedal wireless. There are old letters written by John Flynn to his father, and these letters give an insight into the personal thoughts of this quiet, sensitive man.

The complex also comprises the Fred McKay Art Gallery, Alfred ­Traegar Cultural Centre, the Allan Vickers Outdoor Theatre and the Cloncurry Gardens.

In an enclosed area at the front of the centre you’ll also find a 1924 Dodge, the same model as the car used by Rev. Flynn when he travelled the inland promoting the pedal radio and the doctor with wings.

In his later years, Flynn was awarded an OBE and an honorary doctorate of divinity was conferred on him by the McGill University in Montreal. But it is most likely that his greatest sense of reward came from the achievement of a mantle of safety across the vast inland area of Australia.
Last year, the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) celebrated its 80th birthday. That is an accomplishment indeed from something that started with one man’s vision.