July 15, 2022
A $195,000 animal-proof fence erected around Kingaroy Airport will save the South Burnett Regional Council an estimated $91,000 a year – and ensure the Royal Flying Doctor Service can continue to land safely at night.
The 6.8km of fencing encloses the sealed and grass runways at the airport, keeping kangaroos safely away from both landing strips.
Before the new fence was installed, a Council worker had to “run the strip” in a vehicle at night to clear the runway of ‘roos before the Flying Doctor could land or take-off.
This could occur several times a night, racking up substantial call-out costs for Council (and meaning the employee was continually being woken up).
A Council spokesperson said RFDS crews landed 384 times at Kingaroy Airport during the past financial year.
The new wire fence was erected by Focus Fencing, the same company which erected 14km of animal-proof fencing around Wondai Airport last year.
Work on the Kingaroy project started in April and was completed by the end of June after delays caused by wet weather.
RFDS spokesperson Glyn Butchard said the new fence would help to improve access and safety for RFDS crews and patients.
“Our highly experienced pilots can land in a range of environments, however kangaroos and other animals which encroach on airstrips can present unpredictable hazards and can increase the time it takes for us to respond to an emergency,” he said.
“It’s great to see the completion of this new fence which will help provide an extra barrier, ensuring our crews can land quickly and safely at all times of the day, as we continue to deliver the finest life-saving care right across the region.”
Both the Kingaroy and Wondai airport fences were funded through the State Government’s Works For Queensland grants scheme.
A Council spokesperson said future improvements at Kingaroy Airport included an upgrade to the runway lighting.
The new lighting is due to be installed by September and will be partly funded by the Federal Government through the Regional Airport Program.
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I hope the Council puts signs on the fence telling the roos not to jump over it.
Do they no longer take patients to the other hospitals by ambulance like they used to?
I find it hard to believe that 384 times, or about an average of once per day, a local person is in a life-or-death situation actually requiring to be airlifted to a major hospital. That number also isn’t including the helicopter airlifts which also come and go every one or two days.
I’d bet quite a pretty penny could be saved if they used ambulances for the non-life or death cases instead, assuming that it costs about $10,000 per medivac.
It is a special feeling when you hear the RFD planes approach their landing over Kingaroy.
It is reassuring to rural Australians, especially since specialist services have been centralised in metropolitan hospitals, that someone who needs specialist medical assistance, is about to receive help from the dedicated Royal Flying Doctor team.
Great project that will benefit all the South Burnett and further afield.
I feel the new fence is great, it has cleaned the roadside up, and improves the look of Kingaroy, hopefully it will be maintained that way plus safety for RFDS.
My query is we have a new hospital with no doctors to service the South Burnett and feel this is the biggest problem.
Have heard that even for minor procedures we have to go to Toowoomba or Brisbane, whether you get there by yourself, ambulance, helicopter or plane.