Curtis Rayment always had a plan, he was going to do whatever it took to become a Royal Flying Doctor. Curtis grew up on his family’s cattle farm in Western Queensland, where the district was experiencing the worst drought it had seen in years. Throughout Curtis’s formative years, his Grandfather, a Veteran of HMAS Australia served as his teacher. Curtis’s Grandfather was described as ‘a sailor, a stockman and a gentleman’, and was a strong support figure throughout Curtis’s childhood.
After completing his primary schooling through distance education, Curtis went on to attend boarding school in Townsville. Curtis immersed himself in all of the opportunities that mainstream schooling provided and was nominated school captain, played representative rugby and played leading roles in the school’s musical productions. As his parents were unable to provide financial assistance for his tertiary education, upon completing high school Curtis decided to take a working gap year to earn money so he could support himself through university. After working as a Trainee Officer for the Townsville and District Rugby Union, Curtis moved to Brisbane to start his studies.
Curtis began studying a Bachelor of Health but was later offered a place, closer to home, in a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery, allowing him to pursue his dream of becoming a doctor. Curtis is thriving at university, he says, ‘another positive to living in Townsville means that I am much closer to my family’s cattle property allowing me to help Mum and Dad with the cattle mustering.’ This festive season help us raise money to award more scholarships for people like Curtis. With the help of his AVCAT scholarship, Curtis will achieve his dream of becoming a doctor, and make a difference in rural Australia.
