1998 $5 70 Years of Royal Flying Doctors Service of Australia Al-Bronze Proof CoinUntil early this century, sickness and injury were among the worst fears of the hardy souls who lived and worked in Australias outback. Medical attention was either out of reach or a long and arduous ride away. In 1928, after much initial opposition, the Reverend John Flynn succeeded in his quest to establish the Aerial Medical Service, later to become the Flying Doctor Service and, with its Royal charter in 1955, the Royal Flying Doctor Service.