Flying Doctor Playing Cards

A small deck of cards arrived in my Christmas Stocking. They are not trick cards, they are not waterproof cards and they are certainly not gold foil cards. They are, however, very special playing cards. They are the playing cards of the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

What is the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS)?

The RFDS is a healthcare and emergency service in Australia. What makes this service special is that their patients are spread across the regional and rural areas of Australia. Patient contact is made through RFDS clinics, customised aircraft transport, and over the radio, phone or over the internet telehealth. There is a fleet of 163 healthcare road vehicles and 79 aircraft. The service helps 1000 people a day across the vastness of Australia

A little bit of History

Generations of Aboriginals lived and thrived across Australia for thousands of years.  European settlement brought more people to rural and regional areas. Other than home or traditional treatments there was limited medical help. Travelling hundreds of kilometres (miles) before motor vehicles brought its own dangers. Conditions which could be successfully treated in cities often resulted in death.

The founder of the RFDS was the Reverend John Flynn over 90 years ago. He is quoted as saying “If you start something worthwhile – nothing can stop it”.  For more about the history of the RFDS read on..

Funding the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia

Fundraising and donations from the RFDS community are used to purchase aircraft, medical and specialised aeromedical equipment. The RFDS is a not-for-profit organisation with friends, partners and supporters all over the world, including Friends of the RFDS UK and Friends of the FRDS USA

How to support the RFDS?

Supporters regularly donate, fundraise or attend events. For those of us who have a love of playing cards, the arrival of a deck of RFDS playing cards is a timely opportunity to think beyond our next game of Fish, Old Maid , Uno or poker.

Comment:   

This deck of cards feels lovely when you take it out of the box. Fresh and slippery and a good weight card. The numbers and pips are bright and clear. The Royals are all there. The Ace of Spades has a nice flourish about it. For the gentle card player this deck will last quite well. In the hustle and bustle of card game night I would have a second deck on stand-by.

It can be fun to produce an unusual deck of cards for your children or friends for a session of card playing. I think the RFDS playing cards will serve as an unusual conversation starter and topic for education about the wonderful role of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia.