AVID photographer Mike Bruorton’s love for wildlife has raised a significant amount of money for the Royal Flying Doctor Service following the production and sale of a 2019 calendar featuring a range of South African animals.
The Hawkins Medical Clinic GP sold around 315 copies of the calendar, raising $2100 for the non-for-profit organisation.
Mount Gambier RFDS Support Group chair Bill Russon said generous donations from people within the community were essential to improving the service.
“The hardest thing for us is fundraising, so when donations like these come along it is really fantastic,” he said.
“We pay for the purchasing and fitting out of aircrafts.
“We will be getting the new PC-24 jet in South Australia this year, which will half travel-time around the state and have the ability to carry three stretchered patients.”
Dr Bruorton said he identified the RFDS as a worthy recipient due to the essential service they provide right across Australia.
“We are so behind it because every single person in the community benefits from it one way or another,” he said.
“Most people in the community know someone who has had to take an emergency flight with the RFDS, so they are a really worthy recipient.”
It is the second year Dr Bruorton has raised money for a charity organisation, inspired by his love for photography and South African animals.
“I travelled extensively through South Africa and as a keen photographer, I took a number of wildlife photographs throughout the region,” he said.
“The staff had always talked about producing a clinic calendar and we thought why not sponsor an organisation.
Dr Bruorton said he was already brainstorming ideas for next year’s calendar.
“I’m not sure entirely what it will entail, the first two have been African themed and I might go down that path again,” he said.
“I asked staff and patients last year what they thought I should do and they were all pretty keen for some more African animals and I still have a huge database of pictures.”
