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Andrea grew up in Gympie, but always dreamed of working with animals.
Today, she manages 30,000 head of cattle across 10 remote stations in western Queensland with her husband, Bob.
Andrea and Bob love their home on Retreat Station—a 14-hour drive northwest of Brisbane.
“We love living here. It’s far more than a job—it’s a way of life. We enjoy rearing cattle and producing food for Australians.”
She’s always felt safe on the station because there’s an RFDS medical chest and the Flying Doctor is only a call away in an emergency.
But life changed when the time came to start a family.
Andrea’s nearest GP is in Longreach—three hours by road. Just one antenatal check-up would keep her off the station and away from her work with the cattle for much of the day.
An expectant mother and her baby need expert antenatal care, regardless of where they call home. The Flying Doctor is here to support women like Andrea as they raise the next generation of Queenslanders.
Instead of travelling all day for each check-up, Andrea found she could attend one of the clinics in the area.
“There’s a clinic every fortnight at Jundah—and that’s only 45 minutes away.”
Better still, by travelling in other directions, there were two other clinics she could access—Windorah (80km) and Yaraka (90km).
“Thanks to the Flying Doctor, I could get to all my check-ups during my pregnancy and get home to help muster the cattle,” explains Andrea.
Andrea gave birth to Michael in 2021, and then to Joe in 2024. For Andrea, being able to count on the Flying Doctor makes all the difference.
“I wouldn’t feel safe living here without them.”
Andrea grew up in Gympie, but always dreamed of working with animals.
Today, she manages 30,000 head of cattle across 10 remote stations in western Queensland with her husband, Bob.
Andrea and Bob love their home on Retreat Station—a 14-hour drive northwest of Brisbane.
“We love living here. It’s far more than a job—it’s a way of life. We enjoy rearing cattle and producing food for Australians.”
She’s always felt safe on the station because there’s an RFDS medical chest and the Flying Doctor is only a call away in an emergency.
But life changed when the time came to start a family.
Andrea’s nearest GP is in Longreach—three hours by road. Just one antenatal check-up would keep her off the station and away from her work with the cattle for much of the day.
An expectant mother and her baby need expert antenatal care, regardless of where they call home. The Flying Doctor is here to support women like Andrea as they raise the next generation of Queenslanders.
Instead of travelling all day for each check-up, Andrea found she could attend one of the clinics in the area.
“There’s a clinic every fortnight at Jundah—and that’s only 45 minutes away.”
Better still, by travelling in other directions, there were two other clinics she could access—Windorah (80km) and Yaraka (90km).
“Thanks to the Flying Doctor, I could get to all my check-ups during my pregnancy and get home to help muster the cattle,” explains Andrea.
Andrea gave birth to Michael in 2021, and then to Joe in 2024. For Andrea, being able to count on the Flying Doctor makes all the difference.
“I wouldn’t feel safe living here without them.”The Impact You’ll Make
