Community & Business
21 March, 2024
A local’s generous donation to RFDS will save lives
Trevor Saal has made a donation to the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) to purchase a life changing piece of medical equipment for female patients.
Recently, Mr Saal and his daughters travelled to Brisbane for a tour of the RFDS Operational Base, after gifting $20,000 for the purchase of a portable ultrasound machine.
This was his second donation to RFDS after gifting them $10,000 in 2022.
Mr Saal explained that he has always been passionate about the RFDS and has used its services twice whilst living up north in his earlier years.
His sons, daughter and granddaughter, have also used the RFDS.
“Living up north, when you’re out in the bush, it’s a mighty service,” Mr Saal said.
“I was flown from Injune to Rockhampton once, and then from Roma to Toowoomba.”
He said the tour of the RFDS base in Brisbane was very good and particularly special for his daughter Meredith, who is a midwife.
“She was working in Brisbane for a few years with the womens hospital, and she was heavily involved with the Royal Flying Doctor Service there, so she met some of the operators that she only knew over the phone,” Mr Saal said.
The tour of the base included introducing him and his family to the clinical and operational staff at RFDS, showing him how the team operates, and the impact of his incredible gift.
Together, Mr Saal and his late wife Pearl became faithful supporters of the RFDS and would give donations often.
They met at a dance at Yarranlea when Pearl was 16, and he was 17.
“The rest was history,” Mr Saal said.
They shared over 71 years together, first on a grain farm at Brookstead in the 50s, then on a property at Goondiwindi with cattle.
Finally, they ended up at Arcadia Valley in 1986 as graziers, before coming back to Pittsworth in 2016.
Mr Saal remembers the ‘bust ups’ which had him using the RFDS services over the years.
He admitted that he has cracked twenty-two ribs throughout his lifetime from numerous farming incidents.
Mr Saal’s generous heart has also seen him donate money to the Pittsworth Women’s Shed, for the construction of a new shed at the Pioneer Village.
After a 15 months wait for council, the shed was finally approved on March 4.
Mr Saal said Pearl was an avid sewer and was part of a sewing group at Yarranlea for many years.
Even when she became ill and had to be hospitalised, Pearl would demand her crocheting be brought in to pass the time.
Pearl passed away in 2022, and Mr Saal also suffered another loss when his 67 years old son Steve died last year from a massive heart attack.
“You hear about it happening but when it comes home to roost, it’s a bit hard,” Mr Saal said.
The portable ultrasound machine that Mr Saal has helped purchase is a life changing piece of equipment that:
Gives the crew access to a hospital based ultrasound scanner, thousands of feet up in the air.
Can be used to assess foetel growth, to monitor high risk pregnancies and as a decision making tool for delivery.
Can provide information that supports the RFDS in its decision making regarding the priority of the patient.
It also gives the RFDS the option to divert a plane and retrieve a woman as a priority one patient.
They transport many pregnancy patients each year, the main reason for retrieval being threatened pre-term labour and delivery.
Kate Rule of the RFDS explained that these types of tools are incredibly special to their crews and patients, and they are very touched by Mr Saal’s gift.
She said they have a photo of Trevor displayed on their ‘hero’ wall, so they can honour his generosity, and connection to the RFDS.
The government has also recently announced that it will direct extra funding to the iconic Australian organisation to deliver even more health services right across the country.
The extra $29.1 million will support the RFDS to provide even more critical emergency aeromedical evacuations when and where they are needed, as well as primary health clinics, dental care and mental health services.
This will particularly help people living in rural and regional areas, along with remote First Nations communities.
The RFDS also runs nearly 25,000 nurse, GP and dental clinics across Australia each year.
“Since its inception almost 100 years ago, the RFDS has always strived to provide first-class health and emergency services to people in the bush,” Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mark Butler said.
“Anyone who has known the relief of the RFDS arriving after a farming accident, a car crash, or a heart attack at a station will appreciate how important this extra funding is.”
