A Flying Doctor legend

Ray Conway has been volunteering with – and donating to – the Royal Flying Doctor Service for so long, he doesn’t even remember how he got involved with the organisation in the first place.

“I don’t know how I came to be sending them cheques,” says Ray with a smile. “I must have met someone somewhere from the Flying Doctor.

“I’ve always been interested in the Flying Doctor, though,” he adds quickly. “They're an icon of Australia.”

From this enigmatic beginning, Ray and his wife Rose have become RFDS Victoria’s longest serving volunteers. They started out stuffing envelopes, and selling raffle tickets at caravan shows and agricultural days, and attending events as representatives of the charity.

“Anything that was on at ‘Jeff’s Shed’, the Flying Doctor was there with their little marquee selling merchandise,” remembers Ray. “When the shows were on, we used to man the stalls, and go around and hand out pamphlets to people.”

Today, Ray and Rose live in Melbourne’s west. Their home is a veritable museum of Flying Doctor memorabilia going back decades, with pins and model planes interlaced with photos from the Conways’ many adventures. There’s Rose with an NBA player she met on a flight in Australia’s top end; a framed image of the pair with Bud Tingwell; and countless photos of Ray with Tom Ryan, RFDS Victoria’s long-standing Education Program Manager.

“When the Flying Doctor got the Flight Simulator, that's when Tom and I sort of got together,” says Ray. As part of the education program, Tom tours the state (and parts of NSW, SA and Tasmania too), towing behind him a life-sized model of a Flying Doctor plane. And for countless journeys, Ray was right there in the passenger seat, lending an invaluable hand.

“We've done a lot of miles together,” says Ray. “I keep the Simulator on the road; keep it tidy, make sure it is all safe and sound.”

During their tenure together, Ray and Tom have visited countless schools in the Victorian countryside.

“I love the country schools,” says Ray. “The little ones, you know, they might only have 15 kids there. We went to one at Lake Charm, out of Swan Hill – a beautiful little place. When we’d finish, the kids would come out and help you. And when we were leaving, a bloke come out and said, ‘No, you two have to come inside’. So you go inside and they present us with a pen each and a little black sheath that was made for us. It’s still on my desk here somewhere, amongst all the junk.”

With so many trips made together, it’s fair to say Ray and Tom have developed an incredibly special rapport.

“When we’re on the road, I always feel like he has my back,” says Tom. “He’s always been my companion, I guess.

“And he loves a chat,” Tom laughs. “I remember one time we were out on the road, and I needed a rest, so Ray took over driving. He was chatting away about something, and I dozed off. I came to a bit later, and he just goes, ‘I think you fell asleep there, mate’, and then just kept talking! He could talk under water, this bloke.”

One of Tom’s fondest memories of “Razor Ray”, as he calls him, heralds from the very start of their friendship, ahead of a trip they had scheduled around Echuca and Yarrawonga.

“I fell off my bike on the Friday before we were set to head off riding to work and broke my elbow. Ray cancelled his week’s appointments, drove the Simulator [and me] to all our gigs, set up and packed down the presentations, carried my luggage, checked me in and out of our accommodation. He even brought a pillow along to rest my arm!”

Tom smiles fondly at the memory.

“I have a million stories like this about Ray.”

Despite his love of the Simulator and Victoria’s rural schools, Ray’s favourite events in the Flying Doctor calendar are the Variety Club days.

“The kids with Autism, they appreciate what you do for them, and the mums or dads, they appreciate that you’re taking notice of their kids and helping them. We've had some beautiful experiences with those kids and the mums and dads, and that's one we really look forward to doing, you know. We get some of the kids up into the Simulator, put them in the seat and put the headphones on, and the looks on their faces…it's worth a million dollars,” says Ray.

Another great day out for the Conways is at the Avalon Air Show, where Rose enjoys chatting with the pilots.

 “When the pilots come over, I ask them about their own country and have they got a family,” says Rose. “And when they say they've got children, I say, ‘Do you take stickers in your country?’ and they say, ‘Oh, yes’. And I'll give them stickers to take home to their children, and you would think I’ve given the world.

“And, alright, they might only be stickers, but as I said at one of the meetings one day, don't think it's below your dignity to hand out stickers. Because I've had some wonderful experiences with them. It's just giving them something that has a bit of meaning.”

Back at Ray and Rose’s house, in amongst the frames on the wall hangs a photo of the magnanimous pair with Scott Chapman, RFDS Victoria’s Chief Executive.

As Scott notes, Ray and Rose have been volunteering at RFDS Victoria for longer than Scott himself has been with the organisation. And during this time, they have become true staples of the organisation.

“‘Ray and Rose’ come as a package,” says Scott. “As volunteers visiting the very sick and palliative patients in a number of hospitals, they constantly put their own needs aside and continue their patient rounds at their own expense.

“They support one another and remain very positive – infecting everyone they meet with optimism. They began to visit my mother in her aged care home, and I know she looked forward to their visits before she passed away.”

By way of acknowledging and thanking Ray for his years of dedication and hard work, he was awarded the Outstanding Contribution award in 2012. Additionally, the very Simulator that Ray helps tow around the state now bears his name, as a tribute to his immense contribution to the Flying Doctor.

“Scott came up with the idea to name the Simulator after Ray: the Ray Conway,” says Tom. “It took Ray about six months to be comfortable with it and start bragging about it, because he genuinely doesn’t crave recognition.”

And that perhaps sums up who the Conways are: selfless, sincere people who honestly “just like giving”.

“You know that thing people say, about wanting to make a difference? Ray doesn’t want to make a difference; he wants to make a contribution,” says Tom. “He doesn’t want the glory."