Annual Donation for RFDS and LifeFlight

Published on 27 August 2025

Mount Isa City Council has joined other councils across North West Queensland and the Gulf in agreeing to donate $5000 to both the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) and LifeFlight each year.

At today’s August Ordinary Meeting, Council resolved to donate $5000 to the RFDS and LifeFlight (a total of $10,000) each financial year for an initial three years.

The idea was raised by Richmond Shire Mayor John Wharton earlier this year at a North West Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils (NWQROC) meeting, with Burke Shire Council the first to donate.

Other NWQROC member councils include Carpentaria Shire, Cloncurry Shire, Croydon Shire, Doomadgee Aboriginal Shire, Etheridge Shire, Flinders Shire, Kowanyama Aboriginal Shire, McKinlay Shire, and Mornington Shire.

Mount Isa Mayor Peta MacRae said the services of both the RFDS and LifeFlight are used by local residents.

“When you’re visiting places, out camping or visiting events in the region, it’s great to know that those services are there,” Cr MacRae said.

LifeFlight and the RFDS have together worked in partnership to establish a state-of-the-art, integrated aeromedical hub based at the Mount Isa Airport that’s set to be fully up and running by October this year.

They have also secured sustainable long-term funding with Queensland Health, and upgraded their aircraft to better serve the region.

Cr MacRae said the new base was looking amazing so far.

“It’ll be really great once we get the new helicopter and the base is open. We’re looking forward to that,” she said.

LifeFlight will soon upgrade its aircraft to the AW139 – a modern, high-performance helicopter used across Queensland’s aeromedical fleet.

It’s due to arrive in September this year and is set to dramatically enhance LifeFlight’s capabilities in the region. It’s faster and has more range and higher performance than the current BK117, with the ability to cover up to 500km in two hours.

The aeromedical hub includes a dedicated ambulance bay, modern patient-transfer areas, administrative and crew facilities, and onsite accommodation to enable 24/7 operations.