Ryman Healthcare Australia has donated a record $138,479 to the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) while naming the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre as its new charity partner for 2025.

For the past 12 months residents and staff from Ryman’s nine Australian villages dug deep and held quiz nights, bake sales, recycling schemes and raffles to raise funds for the iconic aeromedical service, with Ryman matching their efforts dollar for dollar.

During a cheque presentation held at Ryman’s Burwood East village, named after Royal Flying Doctor Service Founder John Flynn, RFDS General Manager Marketing and Fundraising Marie Quirke said the not-for-profit was delighted by the donation.

“It’s really special you have raised this amount of money in 2024 because it is 90 years since the Flying Doctor was ratified in Victoria in the Melbourne Town Hall,” Marie said.

John Flynn displayed great tenacity to have the service ratified in 1934 despite the bleak backdrop of the Great Depression.

RFDS General Manager Marketing and Fundraising Marie Quirke

“I would like to call out the tenacity of the villages for their great activations which raised the most money ever collected for a Ryman (Australia) charity partnership,” she said.

Touching personal donations were made in addition to village-wide initiatives.

Weary Dunlop Retirement Village resident Shirley Williams worked with village staff to raise $8000 by selling the artwork of her late husband David Williams.

And Nellie Melba resident Noella Sutherland honoured her late husband Tom, an RAF serviceman and longtime RFDS supporter, by donating $1000 in his memory.

Marie said the Ryman donation would go toward the busiest plane in the RFDS fleet, which was based at Essendon Airport.

The funds would cover the training of four new flight nurses and a new stretcher for the plane, which transported about four patients a day on flights from as nearby as Gippsland and as far away as Darwin.

John Flynn Retirement Village manager Roslyn Prentice announced the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre (ONJ Centre), part of Austin Health, as Ryman’s 2025 charity partner.

“We received almost 100 applications from an array of organisations wishing to partner with Ryman Healthcare for this next year,” Roslyn said.

“We whittled that down to four and then put it out to our resident population to vote.

“I don’t think there is anyone who is not aware of the incredible work that they do at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre.”

Austin Health Head of Partnerships Penelope Sanderson said the collaboration with Ryman was a natural fit.

“Wellness is integrated into every part of the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre, and I know it’s important to you and your villages,” Penelope said.

“We look forward to a really fantastic year where we can come together, connect, share and promote what is important to each and every one of us.”