| THE FLYING DOCTORS | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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CAST
click here for cast members picturs | LATEST NEWS ! | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Robert Grubb - Dr.Geoff Standish Lenore Smith - Nurse Kate Standish/Wellings Chris Stollery - Pilot Johnno Johnson David Reyne - Dr.Guy Reid Sarah Chadwick - Dr.Rowie Lang Nikki Coghill - Nurse Jackie Crane Beverly Dunn - Operator Claire Bryant Maurie Fields - Vic Buckley Val Jellay - Nancy Buckley Paul Kelman - Steve McCauley Sophie Lee - Penny Wellings Notable guest apperances: Gary Sweet - ep. 81 Fair go and ep.125 Dad's little bloke Tina Bursill - ep.161 Billie and Pete Jon English - ep.161 Billie and Pete William McInnes - ep.189 Being Positive John Polson - ep.190 Open Day Around 1984/85 Crawford Productions decided to produce another new series, a series about the Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS). It all started with a mini series. This was a huge success, so after 6 episodes they continued and it turned out to be a worldwide success ! Over 50 countries broadcasted The Flying Doctors. It was dubbed in different languages - from French to Italian and German. In Australia, the Flying Doctors are well known, but beyond the borders of Australia no-one knew about the RFDS. The series changed this forever, especially in Europe where "The Flying Doctors" were BIG and fanclubs were even established in the U.K, The Netherlands and Germany. It all started with Dr. Tom Callaghan taking over from Dr. Harry Sinclair. A small medical team operated from a small outback town called Coopers Crossing (Minyip, Vic.). Dr. Tom Callaghan was later joined by Dr. Chris Randall and together with nurse Kate Wellings, they they were flown by pilot Dave - Gibbo - Gibson to injured people at remote stations. A relationship developed between Chris and Tom but it was never meant to be. Tom went away to Africa, leaving Chris behind and Dr.Geoff Standish followed in his footsteps. The social life of the Flying Docs took place in the local pub, the Majestic, owned by Vic and Nancy Buckley. If you wanted to know the latest gossip, Mrs. C - Violet Carnegie - was the one to ask. After the death of pilot Gibbo, Sam Patterson flew in and he married the local mechanic/garage owner Emma (played by Rebecca Gibney). New faces came and went, but the sexual tension between Dr. Geoff Standish and nurse Kate Wellings was always there ! They really liked each other but never dared to let feelings take their natural course (except for the episode "Operating Solo"). It took them a few years to 'tie the knot'. Kate even went away for a while to get over Geoff, but fortunately she didn't get over him and in the long awaited episode "The Longing" (ep.108), they finally get married. Storylines differed from aboriginal history to gold digging fever, Aids and problems regarding living in remote areas. Also personal tragedies were not avoided. Dearly beloved Dr. David Ratcliffe (Brett Climo) died whilst rescuing someone. Pilot Gibbo died after a plane crash. Dr. Geoff nearly died of an appendicitis and nearly lost his arm and Scarlett, baby daughter of Geoff and Kate almost didn't make it. But the strongest element of the series was the outback town family atmosphere ! In 1991, after 221 episodes (+ 6 ep. from the mini series) it was all over. Crawford Productions tried to make a spin off series called RFDS, situated in Broken Hill but that didn't have the magic. After a few ep. the show was axed. The Flying Doctors was a great Australian family drama. You just couldn't help but love all the characters in "Coopers Crossing", home of The Flying Doctors. LOCATIONS:all in Victoria Minyip (Early Coopers Crossing) Point Cook (RFDS airport/hangar) Crawford Studios, Boxhill - near Melbourne Werribee Lancefield (Late Coopers Crossing) |
Andrew McFarlane has been busy lately !!! First he guest starred in an episode of the famous series Blue Heelers (ep. "The price of Silence") as a sleez bag poltician, now he just completed a telemovie called "Airtight". "Airtight" is a futuristic thriller which will be shown in the US next month (Nov.'99), but has yet to be sold to an Australian network. Andrew McFarlane is starring as the bad guy who's plotting world domination.(source; TV Week) Also starring is Tasma Walton, better known as constable Dash McKinnley in Blue Heelers (who left this season). Pictures from the Flying Doctors fan reunion, 7/11/99. Click here for pics Because the reunion was so succesfull, a new Fan Club will take off ! "Mayday Mayday" is the new name for the dutch Flying Doctors Fan Club. For more info please e-mail:anoukvcc@hotmail.com or mariannezweed@hotmail.com 
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| MEETING THE CAST | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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This is my private picture archive of my meetings with cast members.
I had the great honor of meeting different cast members in the past. Not only in Australia (Sydney and Melbourne) but also in the Netherlands, in Hilversum, Amsterdam and Nijmegen(my hometown)and in Germany (Bielefeld), whilst organizing a benefit party for the R.F.D.S. All I can say is, that all the castmembers I've met are extremely nice and few of them have become good friends. Enjoy the pics. They are a great bunch of people !  Click here for FD meeting gallery | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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VISIT COOPERS CROSSING AND THE STUDIO
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OTHER PICS FROM MEETINGS
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Robert Grubb page
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