Warm honour for Flynn’s flying doctor service

BY SIMON NICHOLS

Founder of Australia’s Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), Reverend John Flynn, has been honoured in a winning quilt design that celebrated the service’s 80th year in operation.
West Australian artist Jocelyne Leath won this year’s RFDS National Quilting competition, which will be on display at the Sydney Craft & Quilt Fair held at Darling Harbour’s Exhibition Centre from June 11.
From fifty superb entrants, Ms Leath’s quilt titled Beyond the Dream ‘ The Impossible Dream took out the top honour. The winner was announced recently by the National Chairman of the RFDS, Tim Fischer.
Ms Leath’s extraordinarily hand-pieced, machine-embroidered quilt took her two years to create. The centre of the quilt depicts the Reverend John Flynn in a map of Australia, with rays of light and hope shining through in the background. Bordering the quilt are scenes from national parks from every Australian state and territory.
‘The exhibition exceeded all my expectations in representing what the Royal Flying Doctor Service means to Australia,’ RFDS board member and competition organizer, Denise Reynolds, said. ‘The quilt-makers have depicted the history, environment, operations and hope that the Royal Flying Doctor Service gives to all who work, live and travel in rural and remote Australia. They are all works of art.’
This is the service’s eightieth year and the board was delighted to have such beautiful entrants to help commemorate the occasion.
The Royal Flying Doctor Service was established in 1928 by the late Reverend Flynn. Today it provides aid to an area roughly the size of Western Europe and incorporates 82 doctors, 120 nurses, 135 pilots and 20 bases throughout Australia.
This year’s exhibition, Under Flynn’s Wings, will be on display between June 11 and 15 at the Darling Harbour Convention and Exhbition Centre, and will be open between 9am and 5pm. It will form part of Australia’s largest craft event, which celebrates fifteen years this June.