A FUNDRAISING gig for the Royal Flying Doctor Service will be led by a South Freo photographer and musician who owes them his life.
Nick Melidonis was on a photoshoot in Karijini National Park in the Pilbara in 2010 when he fell more than five metres down a gorge and suffered horrific facial injuries.
He was eventually winched to safety and the Flying Doctor Service flew him to a hospital in Perth, where he received urgent medical treatment.
“Having that plane on standby is what saved my life,” Melidonis says.
“It’s a unique service we need to think about and celebrate.
“It’s second to none and saves people’s lives on a daily basis.”
Melidonis went on to make a full recovery.
He will pay tribute to the Flying Doctors by playing a fundraising gig at the Bicton-Palmyra RSL.
• South Freo’s Nick Melidonis says the Royal Flying Doctor Service saved his life.
Led by Melidonis, the band will perform classic songs by artists including Leonard Cohen, Paul Simon, Gordon Lightfoot, Harry Chapin, and Crosby, Stills and Nash.
The band have done a number of fundraising gigs for organisations like St John’s Ambulance, Fremantle Street Doctor and Alisama Orphanage.
The RFDS fundraiser was organised by the E-WA Rotary Club, which was founded in 2016 and has about 25 members across the state from Kununurra to Esperance.
The first of its kind in WA, the Club hold video meetings every Monday night to discuss their fundraising and philanthropic projects.
It’s not all virtual and they still have regular face-to-face meetings at different locations across the state.
The Flying Doctor concert was co-ordinated by Myaree’s Jeff Anderson, a past president of E-WA Rotary and a member of Fremantle Sailing Club since 1974.
He says the Rotary is involved in a wide variety of projects.
“We hold a swim every year in Bruce Rock that supports literacy programs in Bruce Rock and Narrabeen District High Schools,” Anderson says.
“We held the 11th swim this year. This event brings the communities together to have fun and create a better future for their kids.
“We have Rotary International Programs like the Flood Appeal this year and the Rotary International Polio Eradication Program.
“We are also part of Treemission, an innovative project that encourages people to address climate change by planting trees to offset their contribution to greenhouse gases and global warming.”
But right now the Rotary are busy preparing for their fundraising gig for the Flying Doctors.
“Everyday if you look above the sky in Fremantle you will hear them – an amazing service for everyone, not just rural and remote people,” Anderson says.
The RFDS Fundraiser is at the RSL Hall, 28 Foss Street in Bicton on Sunday June 22 from 2pm-4:30pm. Bar open and tea available. Entry by donation. Bookings at Eventbite.
by STEPHEN POLLOCK