General News
12 October, 2026
Nurses take on RFDS challenge
Access to reliable healthcare is something many people can take for granted.
But it's something local nurses Brydie Murphy, Megan Tonissen and Zoe Green see the importance of in their day-to-day occupation.
Given that, the trio has decided to participate in the Royal Flying Doctor Service's "Oceans to Outback".
"Our team, 'Scrubs on the Run', is aiming to collectively run and walk 100 km and raise $1000," explained Zoe.
"We each also have individual distance and fundraising goals that were set before forming our group."
The initiative asks participants to commit to a month of cycling, running, or walking by signing up as an individual or team.
Brydie, Megan and Zoe all moved to the district for their graduate year of nursing in 2025 and became housemates.
"We are all nurses working at Grampians Health Horsham, and we decided to take on the challenge together because of our shared connection to rural healthcare," said Zoe.
"Working in this sector gives us firsthand experience of the challenges involved in providing quality healthcare in a rural community.
"Through our work, we also see how hard the RFDS staff work to support patients and healthcare services across rural and remote areas, and their dedication certainly does not go unrecognised by us.
"We wanted to give back and support an organisation that plays such an important role in our community."
Zoe explained that the RFDS provides vital healthcare to people who may otherwise struggle to access the care they need.
"Taking part in this challenge is our way of showing our appreciation for their work while helping contribute to better healthcare outcomes for rural and remote Australians," she added.
Every couple of minutes, a patient will need the RFDS, whether it's a life-threatening injury, a hospital transfer, or a visit to a GP, dentist, or mental health specialist.
The service connects more than a third of Australians living in remote and regional areas to primary health care, along with life-saving medical and retrieval services.
As a not-for-profit organisation, it relies on donations to bridge the funding gap.
Now in its fifth year, the event has raised nearly $14 million, funding 108,013 patient transports and 3,270 medical chests across Australia.
To donate, visit www.oceanstooutback.org.au/fundraisers/ScrubsOnTheRun.