Royal Flying Doctor Service — The Murrays of Louth know the value of the Flying Doctor
The Royal Flying Doctor Service has been a lifeline for those living, working, and travelling across rural and remote Australia.
Few people understand that more than the Murrays at Louth, one of the first families to use its retrieval services when RFDS Dubbo operations began 25 years ago.
In 1999, two-year-old Will Murray was run over by a tractor on the family’s remote property ‘Trilby’.
His pelvis and leg were broken, as was one side of his ribs. He suffered serious internal injuries including a crushed liver and kidney.
Will’s parents Gary and Liz drove halfway to Bourke, their closest hospital some 140km away, where they met a paramedic who by pure coincidence had been in town for training.
“I didn’t think Will was even hurt because he wasn’t crying, and he was conscious. I’d lie him down and he would sit up. I said to Gary that I thought he had a broken leg,” Liz recalled.
“But then his eyes started to roll, and he was going blue around the mouth. Fortunately, around the corner was the ambulance.”
Now with medical care, they continued their journey to Bourke.
Not knowing the full extent of the injuries, a Professor from the Sydney Children’s Hospital was on the phone the entire time speaking with doctors at Bourke. […]
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We know Will from staying at Trilby many times but did not know about this accident. SO glad he is now a very active, healthy adult!