Angel Flight Australia has been given a life-changing bequest of $600,000, enabling the charity to acquire a second aircraft to expand its Rural Medi-Flight program; a growing initiative flying health professionals into rural communities where medical care is urgently needed.
For over 22 years, Angel Flight has supported rural Australians by coordinating free flights for patients needing access to city-based medical treatment. In recent years, however, the organisation has responded to a new challenge: the escalating need to bring medical professionals into the bush, rather than flying patients out.
Launched in early 2024, the Rural Medi-Flight program has become a vital service in rural Queensland, providing transport for doctors and specialists into rural and remote communities facing critical shortages in healthcare. This new aircraft, a pressurised, twin-engine seven-seater Cessna 414, will increase Angel Flight’s capacity to meet this demand and it carries a deeply personal legacy.
The aircraft has been named in honour of Karen Anne, the generous donor who left the bequest. Karen had deep connections to rural Queensland and a heartfelt passion for improving access to healthcare in remote areas.
“Karen’s gift came at a time when the need was outstripping our capacity,” said Angel Flight CEO Marjorie Pagani. “In the past 12 months alone, we’ve flown more than 300 health professional missions in Queensland. Without a second aircraft, we were being forced to turn away health professional requests, many of whose work could have made a life-saving difference to unserved communities.”
The Queensland Department of Health reports that people in remote and very remote areas are 1.3 times more likely to die prematurely, and twice as likely to be hospitalised for preventable conditions than those in cities. Distance, workforce shortages, and a lack of transport options continue to isolate many rural Australians from timely medical care.
“This aircraft means we can say yes more often—to doctors heading to west to places like St George, Cunnamulla and Winton and into the Far North of Queensland where care is urgently needed,” Ms Pagani added. “Rural Medi-Flights is about bringing treatment directly to people’s doorsteps, reducing the burden of long travel and time away from home. But we urgently need long-term funding to keep these services in the air—this should be part of a properly functioning healthcare system.”
Angel Flight operates without any government funding. Its first aircraft, a Cessna 402C, was fully self-funded and will now be based in Townsville to cover Far North and North West Queensland. Karen Anne, the new Cessna 414 will operate from Archerfield Airport in Brisbane, transporting health professionals who are dedicated to servicing communities across western Queensland.
Looking ahead, Angel Flight hopes to scale the Rural Medi-Flight model nationally, with aircraft based in each capital city and major regional centres like Cairns and Port Hedland. But for now, the focus remains on keeping current services operational, ensuring doctors can continue to reach Australians in remote and rural communities who need them most.
What a truly extraordinary legacy Karen Ann has left.
Knowing that her generosity will help bring vital medical care to rural communities is incredibly moving, and I can’t think of a more fitting way to honour her life.
Bobby, I know this has been an incredibly difficult time, and I admire the love and dedication you’ve shown in carrying out Karen Ann’s wishes. I’m sure she would be so proud.
May Karen Ann’s kindness continue to touch lives for many years to come