A first responder to a cattle yard incident in north west Queensland has been crowned the RFDS Local Hero Award winner for the Mount Isa region.
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The Royal Flying Doctor Service (Queensland Section) announced its nine regional Local Hero Award winners for 2021 - each representing one of its base locations.
The annual Local Hero Awards recognise Queenslanders who have donated their time and energy to give back to keep the Flying Doctor in the air.
Justine Collins was on shift as a nurse in Dajarra when she received a call about an accident at a remote station around 25 minutes away.
She immediately hopped into action, notifying the RFDS and taking the clinic ambulance, along with the warden, to the property.
There she found Paul Woods who had been in an accident with a bull. While Justine didn't know the full extent of his injuries, she knew that most of his ribs were broken and there was risk of a punctured lung.
Many of the station employees were present at the scene of the accident, as were Paul's children. Everyone chipped in to assist Justine in keeping Paul stable until help arrived. As there was no signal in the stockyard, Justine relayed messages regarding Paul's condition to the cook, who ran back and forth from the homestead to communicate with retrieval services via phone.
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RFDS Queensland CEO Meredith Staib commended Justine on her incredible efforts to stabilise Paul and congratulated her on winning the 2021 RFDS Local Hero Award for the Mount Isa region.
"While each of our winners has a diverse background, they are united in the fact they have all found a unique way to give back to the RFDS. Several have their own personal motivation for fundraising, with the RFDS saving the life of a family member," Ms Staib said.
"On behalf of the RFDS, I would like to congratulate all of the winners and the nominees for their tremendous efforts to support our Service.
"Without the unwavering dedication from community members, we couldn't perform the job we do."
Ms Staib invited Queenslanders to now vote for the overall 2021 RFDS Queensland Hero who will receive a $7500 grant, courtesy of Ergon Energy Retail, to promote healthcare in their community.
"Each regional winner's story is showcased in a video package on the Local Hero website.
Queenslanders are encouraged to watch these online and then vote for the person or group they believe should be crowned this year's Queensland winner," she said.
Vote for the 2021 RFDS Queensland Hero by visiting www.rfdslocalhero.com.au
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