In 2021, I secured national media coverage for the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia (South Eastern Section) (RFDSSE) following the rescue and treatment of a couple who got lost in the outback.

Foreign couple José and Nicky got stranded after their car got stuck in sand and walked over 40 kilometres in extreme conditions with their dog. They were eventually found and taken to the Royal Flying Doctor's Innamincka Clinic. While the couple refused to speak directly to the media to avoid causing stress to their families back home, they allowed me to interview them and share their story via a media release I wrote.

I saw this as a great opportunity to focus on travel safety when travelling in the bush and arranged for Nurse Practitioner Chris Belshaw to discuss the risks and necessary precautions for travelling in the desert. I wrote a media release and distributed it along with photos provided by the couple to my media contacts both locally and nationally.

Following the circulation of this release, I managed to secure a live cross on Channel Nine's Today Show where Chris spoke of the couple's encounter and shared critical information for travelling safely in remote Australia. Along with coverage on the Today Show, this story was picked up by several other outlets, bringing attention to the life-saving work of the charity.

Special thanks to José and Nicky for trusting me with their story.

As seen in:

The Age: https://www.theage.com.au/national/i-thought-we-were-going-to-die-stranded-outback-couple-saved-after-days-without-food-water-20210114-p56u65.html

Sydney Morning Herald: https://www.smh.com.au/national/i-thought-we-were-going-to-die-stranded-outback-couple-saved-after-days-without-food-water-20210114-p56u65.html

9News: https://www.9news.com.au/national/couple-rescued-after-getting-lost-in-south-australian-outback/94279206-bebe-4748-8705-ad4191863aa9

MSN: https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/couple-trying-to-avoid-border-restrictions-rescued-after-walking-40km-in-outback-south-australia/ar-BB1cJU8S

7NEWS: https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/health-wellbeing/adelaide-couple-walks-40km-in-sa-outback-after-getting-bogged-trying-to-bypass-qld-nsw-covid-border-closure--c-1956702

Pedestrian TV: https://www.pedestrian.tv/news/couple-outback-rescue/