Little explorers take the win

A young family from Cairns has won $10K as part of Rescue Swag’s Outback Explorer Competition. 

Camping, 4WDing, scuba diving, fishing and mountain bike riding are the norm for Rosie’s family, so when she heard about the Rescue Swag Outback Explorer Competition, she had to enter.

Rosie (a QAS Paramedic and lecturer), her husband Terry (an Airport Firefighter) and their two girls, Emily and Riley, spend most of their free time travelling to distant parts of Australia with their camper trailer.

“We live for the outdoors, so when a friend told us about the Outback Explorer Competition – we thought we’d to give it a go,” Rosie said.

“We had footage from previous adventures as well as new footage and compiled them into a short video with my daughter, Emily, as the narrator.

“Emily’s quite into theatrics, as most 10-year-old girls are, so she loved making the video with her friends, who we often holiday with.

“Our friend’s dog Shadow also played an instrumental part in the video, which made it fun.”

Rescue Swag, proudly owned by the Royal Flying Doctor Service (Queensland Section), launched the Outback Explorer Competition in February, calling all outdoor enthusiasts and content creators to showcase their love for the great outdoors.

Entrants were encouraged to capture and share their experiences of Australia’s diverse landscapes with the winner chosen for their strengths in creativity and entertainment.

Rosie and her family won the main prize of $10,000 plus an Adventurer Rescue Swag first aid kit.

“It’s funny because when we entered the competition, I was mainly interested in winning the Rescue Swag,” Rosie laughed.

“I didn’t think for a moment we would win the major prize.

“This prize will help us to have more family adventures and help the kids start their own.”

Rosie always wanted to own a Rescue Swag and thought it would be a great first aid kit to bring along for their family adventures.

“In 2016, when I ran the Gordonvale Ambulance station, we raffled off a Rescue Swag on behalf of the Local Ambulance Committee, to raise funds to buy equipment and first aid supplies to train the local community in first aid.

“This was long before it was owned by RFDS (Queensland Section), and we managed to raise $3000.

“As a paramedic, I personally don’t like to go anywhere without a first aid kit.

“Our kids love climbing trees, rock hopping, chasing waterfalls, bushwalking – first aid is essential.

“We are so humbled by this and the generosity of RFDS and Rescue Swag.”

Other Outback Explorer Competition winners

People’s Choice winners

• Caitlynn B
• Trent B
• Jessie C

Lucky draw winner

• Grace R

All competition entries can be viewed here.

Congratulations!