MATT WRIGHT LAUNCHES “BUY THE SKY” CAMPAIGN

14 October 2013: For the first time ever, Australians can buy their own virtual patch of sky and support the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service, Australia’s largest and most comprehensive aeromedical and healthcare service, has today launched the biggest and most inventive fundraising campaign in its history; Buy the Sky (www.buythesky.com.au).

The Flying Doctor is offering supporters the chance to have their own personal Flying Doctor experience by ‘purchasing’ and naming a patch of sky along selected flight paths across Australia. For a $50 tax deductible donation, supporters can choose a 1km square patch of virtual sky with specific co-ordinates. Supporters will be issued with a digital certificate showing their name in the sky and the patch co-ordinates.

Whether as a simple gesture of goodwill, a chance to see your name in the sky, or as a gift, the campaign provides supporters with the opportunity to be part of one of Australia’s most iconic and loved charities.

Those who buy a patch of sky will also receive updates about Royal Flying Doctor Service activity taking place on their flight path through ongoing communication from the charity.  Once a patch has been bought, supporters can opt in to receive weekly flight updates via social media or email once Royal Flying Doctor Service planes have passed through their very own slice of Australian sky.

Matt Wright, star of National Geographic’s hit show Outback Wrangler, and Buy the Sky spokesperson and supporter, comments, “With the ability to reach the furthest corners of the country, the RFDS is a vital source of care for those around Australia without the capacity to reach primary health care quickly. With 21 bases and more than 60 planes, the Royal Flying Doctor Service is always there when you need them.”

Jimmy McGlynn, a motorcycle crash survivor evacuated by the Flying Doctor Service with a potentially fatal head injury, said, “I’m still here and I wouldn’t be if RFDS didn’t look after me the way they did. Everything I received was spot on.”

Each time a Royal Flying Doctor Service flight is flown, information about the flight is tracked using a flight tracking and monitoring system. Supporters will be able to receive weekly updates of activity through their very own patch of Australian sky.

The campaign is designed to help secure the long-term future of the Service which relies on fundraising and donations from the community to purchase and medically-equip its aircraft and to support its 24/7 emergency aeromedical and essential healthcare services.

To buy your own patch of sky, visit www.buythesky.com.au.