Open new LifeFlight Sunshine Coast Jocelyn Walker Visitor Experience & Education Centre

Sunshine Coast Council Mayor, Councillor Rosanna Natoli, CEO Mr John Baker; LifeFlight Foundation, Chair Dr Allan Mackillop and Directors, Mr Travis Schultz OAM and Mr Mike Stewart; Regional Patron, Ms Jocelyn Walker AM; Chair of the Sunshine Coast South Burnett Regional Advisory Committee, Ms Tarlia Carpenter and committee members; Lifeflight Regional Ambassadors, Founders, Pioneers and their families, distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen.

I acknowledge the Original Custodians of the lands on which we are gathered, and I pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and to all First Nations people here this evening.

It’s an enormous pleasure to join you to mark the opening of the LifeFlight Sunshine Coast Jocelyn Walker Visitor Experience & Education Centre.

As many of you will know, one of my proudest achievements in my former career as a medical professional was working alongside LifeFlight and the Royal Flying Doctor Service to help establish a world-class aeromedical retrieval service for all Queenslanders.

To be here to witness the culmination of another major advancement in this space is a great source of pride for me as Governor and Patron of LifeFlight. 

Four and a half years ago, when I became Governor of this vast state, LifeFlight was the very first patronage acceptance of my governorship. In fact, I made an official visit to LifeFlight during my very first week.

It is therefore a great privilege to once again recognise an organisation that means so much to the people of Queensland and holds such deep personal significance for me.

In this role, I have consistently sought to acknowledge and support our healthcare workers and emergency service personnel, and I’m aware that some of those hardworking people are here this evening.

I acknowledge and thank you for all you do. Every day, your expertise—on the ground and in the air—underpins the wellbeing of Queensland.

Travelling the length and breadth of this wonderful state brings a deep understanding of the challenges of distance.

As Queenslanders, we are generally unfazed by the sheer scale of the place we call home—where, for many, “just down the road” might mean hundreds of kilometres.

However, when illness strikes or—that most unexpected of days—a critical emergency occurs, those long distances can become very challenging indeed.

To know that swift help is ready and waiting, that wherever we might be it will come to us, is a truly precious level of trust and reassurance. That on-going community confidence is due, in no small part, to LifeFlight.

In 1979, through the determination and vision of local people, the first rescue helicopter was launched here on the Sunshine Coast.

For all their ingenuity and foresight, perhaps even those early pioneers could not have imagined what LifeFlight would become in under five decades: the largest and most advanced aeromedical service in the Southern Hemisphere, delivering intensive, ICU-level treatment by air, 24 hours a day, every day.

It is, of course, more than a service. In a state the size of ours it’s an essential part of our health network. It’s a cornerstone of regional life, reaching from the far west to our islands, from remote stations to large towns, ensuring that no matter the challenge, those in critical need will receive fast, expert care. World-class care.

This week, a new phase begins for LifeFlight. With the opening of this Centre, the story of LifeFlight — and the service it offers — is brought to life.

When the Centre opens its doors to the public on Saturday, local people, students, and tourists alike will come to better understand the significance of this organisation.

I trust they will be impressed and inspired—as I am—by the vital role LifeFlight plays in the lives of all Queenslanders.